Back from Workshops in the US...

Creative Wedding Photography Workshop, Los Angeles.
Model: Bonni Mircovich

Film Noir Workshop,
Bethlehem Pennsylvania

Hello everyone! First things first. I know that you are all getting a little tired of me starting my blog with an apology for the delay in updating. Well, I would be if I were you. That being the case, I won't do it this time. OK? These last couple of months have been incredibly hectic however. And now that I am back from the workshops we ran in Pennsylvania and California, I can give you a bit of an insight. 

In the week before leaving, I had to pack up my house and move, shoot Susan and Billy's wedding on the Saturday (more on that soon), pack for the US that evening, get married myself on the Sunday and then get on a plane the morning after - complete with my beautiful wife, Natasha. Yes, it was kind of a working honeymoon you might say. Tash and I love our work and we love to travel, so it was destined to be wonderful. My Love is a wonderful photographer in her own right and had never set foot on American soil before, so for her it was very exciting indeed. For me, it was a chance to give her a glimpse of how beautiful the country is and how hospitable our hosts could be. 

So, after living through a week in which some of the most stressful and exhausting things two people can go through, we spent thirty hours traveling to finally arrive in Newark airport, exhausted and excited at the same time. We were in New Jersey and ready for all that lay ahead! The next morning would see us take the drive down to our hosts in Allentown, Pennsylvania and arrive at Dan's Cameras - ready for a meet and greet with many who had booked for our workshops and events in that part of the world. I gotta tell ya - its a good thing we are young and healthy! :-)

I won't go in to the day by run of workshops and events or I will be here forever - and so would you if you were to keep reading! But I will say that we were overwhelmed by the warmth and hospitality of our hosts - the gang at Dans - and our friends who attended our workshops. Altogether we ran seven events and workshops in Allentown and we have been asked to return for more! Will we? Ah, yuh! 

Jeremy, Studio Essentials Workshop,
Dan's Camera City,
Allentown, PA

Taking a few days to ourselves, Tash and I explored through Pennsylvania, taking time to visit Gettysburg - a place I have wanted to visit since I was a boy. On these fields in 1863 history was made, brought about in the most horrific of ways. Battles and wars are the unfortunate means by which history is often written, and these fields and hills were the site of the most devastating battles of the American Civil War. It was an interesting day, poignant and informative, especially as we stood in places where thousands of men had been led into the very places they would meet their painful end. Standing on Big Round Top, Cemetery Ridge and the point of Pickett's Charge were all very interesting and moving indeed. A drive through Maryland and Pennsylvania the next day brought us finally to New York City where we spent the better part of 16 or so hours seeing the sights and walking through this remarkable metropolis. Atop the Empire State Building we photographed the city below as the sun set to the west. On to Times Square, 5th Avenue and Macy's on 34th Street...

An early plane to Los Angeles was the next order of things. We had not even bothered to get a room in New York as our plane was scheduled to leave so early. Again, Creative Photo Workshops had been invited by our good friend, Mark Comon at Paul's Photo in Torrance, California to run workshops for them also. Film Noir kicked us off, followed by our Creative Flash Workshop Part One the day after and our Creative Wedding Workshop the day after that. Now, with Monday through Friday to ourselves, Tash and I could visit the sites and experience California. 

We did that in some rather diverse ways. We wound up doing everything from being in the studio audience for Jerry Springer's "Baggage" program to experiencing the beauty of Joshua Tree National Park, the heat of Palm Springs, bad pizza in Temecula and the colour of the Gaslight District of San Diego. In LA itself, Graumann's, Malibu, Santa Monica, Hollywood Boulevard and the Hollywood sign were all on Tash's 'to do' list as well. Boxes ticked. Done.

A quick snap at sunset, Joshua Tree National Park.

My Love at Joshua Tree

For Tash and me this opportunity to run workshops and events in Pennsylvania and California afforded us a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We will never forget it. So many new things. So many wonderful experiences. So many new friends. So many boxes ticked and new ones to consider. We saw and experienced things both of us had long dreamed of, but now with the added beauty of holding each other's hand along the way. It made the getting there - in every way - finally comprehensible. I have travelled many times, to many places. My 'About Me' page in this blog is but a glimpse of my adventures, camera in hand. This one was an entirely new and unique one altogether. 

So, as you can see, it has been a rather busy time, and I have only scratched the surface in telling you of the busy nature of my life these past few months. I am hoping finally for some calm, while working to continue the excitement and adventure. It is a wonderful life and despite its unpredictable paths, it continues to excite and fulfill me. With new and joyous love in my life, I am renewed in many ways. There is yet more to achieve, complete, restore and renew. Thank you to all who have borne with me through some rather difficult, confusing and exhausting times. Your friendship, kindness, patience and understanding have not been and never will be forgotten. 

More to come....

Shelton.

Think! But not too much...

Yesterday was an interesting day. It started with such promise and I was very excited. But it was going to be a day of learning for me. Let me tell you why. Lets start with the setup, shall we?

A shoot had been arranged for Glynn and I and the CPW team. A tutorial was planned. However, due to illness, two of the team could not make it at the last minute. That's ok. Glynn and I would still do the shoot. 

We had the pleasure to work once again with Australian Top Model, Sophie Van Den Akker. Creative Photo Workshops was there working with Sophie when it all started for her. She first modeled for us for our initial Emerging Nymph event, and then for a couple of our flash workshops. Then, she landed her place on Australia's Next Top Model, coming third in the placings but perhaps the most commercially successful of the models since then. Sophie has worked for Nikon, Speedo, Avon and other high profile companies since her TV debut on that interesting reality program. Sophie is a beautiful girl with one of the most geometrically perfect faces I have ever seen. She is a laugh a minute and great fun to work with as a result. 

To us, she is still just Sophie. However, getting hold of her is not so easy anymore. She is in demand - and under contract. However, she graced us yesterday with her company for a shoot. And Sophie - thank you! It was wonderful working with you.

The lovely Sophie Van Den Akker in designs by Matcho

There is so much going on in my life at the moment that I have to admit to being plain tired. And yesterday - it showed. Here I was in a fabulous location - an abandoned factory complex in Kensington, just north of Melbourne. I had a wonderful model, fantastic clothes from Matcho, a very talented clothing designer, and my old shooting buddy, Glynn Lavender. Add to that our Elinchrom Ranger Quadra kits and you have the makings of a memorable and creative shoot.

But yesterday my mojo just wasn't working. I think that I was so distracted by other things that I just wasn't problem solving very well. And, as my previous post argues, successful photography is mostly problem solving. To be honest, I believe I was overthinking it. I was making things complex when they were really quite simple. And I learned a lesson from my own book once again. Keep it simple. Keep your lighting simple. Keep your lenswork simple. Keep your concepts simple. 

While I am relatively pleased with some of the images, I would love to have another shot at it. Alas, I don't think that will happen. Sophie is off to bigger and better things...

Glynn gets into position for a photograph

Shelton Muller

The Principal Principles...

I find myself constantly torn between two kinds of photography that are very dear to me - Natural Light portraits and Strobist work. Natural, available light presents a challenge to a photographer. It is what it is and there is little chance of changing it. Personally,  I do not believe there is any such thing as bad light. There is only the bad use of it. Light is required for every photograph, but it comes with many faces. Those faces set the tone and feel of the images you create within the moment and in that you are at the mercy of the light you are given. 

Learning the nuances of natural light and working within its allowances is a liberating process for any photographer as it means never being stuck for a creative option. There is always an answer, an image, an opportunity. A photographer who knows available light can shoot anyone, anywhere, anytime. This photographer doesn't need exotic locations, beautiful brides, unique subject matter or anything particularly overwhelming or dynamic to create from the given situation. This photographer knows the power of writing with light and knows that  brush well. That is powerful stuff, and simply good for business if you are a working photographer shooting his share of weddings and location based portraits. There will never be a situation in which you will throw up your hands and surrender for lack of ideas, control or options.  Photographers who work - or intend to work - in these arenas cannot afford to go in without knowledge of their craft, the light and the need to work with it, beneath it, around it and within it. A rainy day does not scare a wedding photographer. It simply changes his approach and gets him a little wet. The same is true of harsh sunlight or cloudy days. The light will be what it will be and the photographer bows to its will. Once done, he knows where he stands and what can be achieved. There is little point arguing with the nature of the light or hoping that some other kind of light had been available. No amount of cursing, hoping or wishing will change what you are given.

Strobist based photography, however, is about control. It is about putting your light anywhere you want it, and, if you know how, transforming reality with the turn of a dial. That is a very rewarding process indeed. What it means for the photographer is the chance to create ethereal images from very ordinary circumstances and surroundings. It means that you can take a concrete slab, an old chair and a model - like these images here - and create images that astound you - and you're the one creating them!

In the end, I am glad to have acquired over the years a deep working knowledge of principles and techniques behind the creation of all kinds of images whether they be naturally or unnaturally lit and created. My first camera was a Minolta SRT 101, a clunky classic with a full metal jacket and million cogs and springs that made images possible inside it. It was the best introduction to photography I could have ever had. 

Perhaps one of the greatest crimes of the digital era is that the neophyte photographer can become hypnotised by the power of the technology and fooled into believing that the principles and sciences behind photography no longer need to be learned. However, they soon find themselves twiddling dials ad infinitum wondering why the images in their heads do not become the images in their cameras. The old 'fix it in PhotoShop' option is hoped for, but not even that can do it all the time. 

Creative Photo Workshops deal in time proven principles such as refined metering techniques, lens perspective, depth of field and composition - all the things needed to create the image in camera. We teach guide numbers, spot metering, incident metering and other time honoured principles that are becoming lost to photographers who have only joined our ranks in the last few years. These time honoured principles are the life savers, however. While I love the potential that PhotoShop and Lightroom add to my images, I still believe in creating in camera. I am a photographer, not a PhotoShopper. I create images in the camera and enhance them in the digital darkroom. But I work towards being as happy as humanly possible with the image straight from the camera. That doesn't always happen of course, but then no photographer can say that it does - all the time. However, its nice when the odds turn in your favour.

Today's photographer needs to understand what the older generation of photographers has known since the inception of this deeply satisfying endeavour. They need to understand that there is more to photography than an idea. There is the need to able to produce the idea. Herein is the challenge - and one that technology does not meet completely. Photography is 5% Creativity and 95% Problem Solving. An innately creative individual can envisage a photograph and burst forth in an endeavour to create it. That is the creative part. We could say that is the easy part. The successful photographer knows how to solve the natural problems that will undoubtedly arise in the creative process. Without that knowledge, photography becomes frustrating when it needn't be. Learning the principles and using even the most average intelligence will result the satisfaction of being able to create and complete any image that arises within the eager imagination.

I'm not Tonto, but I work with a Loan Ranger...

Hello Blog and Dear Readers!

Sorry its been so long since my last confession. So much has been happening that keeping up with this blog has been difficult. While its the case that there has been so much to write about, getting the time to write about these very things has been the hard part. Yeah yeah, I know what you are going to say. Excuses Excuses. And I would have to agree.

But, last night was something to definitely write about. Last night Creative Photo Workshops ran yet another Emerging Nymph evening at Black Rock, our usual haunt for this shoot along Melbourne's bayside beaches.

Our models were Kelly Jean, Sarah Hardy and male model, Leigh Crozier, who, of course, was not an Emerging Nymph per se', but he added that 'business man in the water' aspect that has evolved within this shoot. While this event has now been repeated by us several places in Australia and now in LA, it is different each time. The models are different, the conditions are different and the weather can certainly factor in! Unique to last night was the addition of rock three-piece, Zenith ASP, a Melbourne band who came along for some free promo pictures. Hey! Why not? Joey, Evan and Jayden were very pleased with the images they were getting for the sheer act of turning up. For their image, we used Elinchrom lighting each side, and gaffer-taped a FotoBestway strobe complete with FlashWave III receiver to the back of an old Strat copy of mine. It was an interesting effect and it can be seen as the light on Jayden's face in the image below of the band. 

On the CPW team there was me (of course), Glynn, Natasha Humble, Adam Davidson and the inimitable Kerry Sumner. We were there working to ensure that our customers got some great images and to hold lights and set things up. We had about 12 customers, so that's a pretty good ratio of CPW team members to customers. Kerry and Adam were once customers of Creative Photo Workshops, attending workshop after workshop in our earlier days as a business. Their talent and passion for photography is contagious and we are honoured to have their assistance at these events. They are a pleasure to work with.

Zenith ASP

Apart from the addition of a three-piece band, something else is new to the Creative Photo Workshops arsenal of tools -the addition of Elinchrom Ranger Quadras as our location lighting kits. We have long wanted a portable, powerful lighting kit for our workshops and events - and this is it. For events like this and our recent Castlemania event, the Elinchrom Ranger Quadras  have been absolutely perfect for location lighting. They are certainly not cumbersome but they are powerful, easy to set up and easy to use. One of them even took a spill last night and wasn't phased by the fall. The Rangers are ruggedly built and keep working and working and working. Packed neatly into a relatively small case, they can be taken almost anywhere with you. With 400 watt seconds of potential power, there is little they can't achieve for you on location or even in studio.

For us, this is very important - as I am sure you can imagine. Portability is one thing. But when you have a dozen people all working from the same flash head, it needs to recharge quickly and have enough power in its batteries to keep up the pace and last the night. For us, the Ranger Quadras have been perfect and have not given up the ghost. Firing on full power for much of the time, they kept up with the different setups we had established and didn't let us - or our customers - down. If you do your share of location shooting with a requirement for portable flash, the Quadras are a perfect choice. They are not an inexpensive item but the pro or semi pro would have them paid for in no time considering the images they make possible, the power they contain and the logistics of location lighting they simplify. We certainly intend on using them extensively for our events and workshops.

Using Elinchrom Ranger Quadras on location

Case in point. For this shot of Leigh (above) a 40x40cm Elinchrom soft box was attached, as you can see in the behind the scenes photograph. This was enough to soften the output and spread the light more evenly, which, considering the proximity and angle of the light, was a necessity. The softness was great for sculpting and detail and the spread of light meant that lighting Leigh evenly across his cheats and to his arms was possible. To achieve this shot, our assistant and Friend of CPW, Adam Davidson, simply stood in the water next to Leigh, the battery pack hanging around his shoulders and the flash and softbox on a stand held firmly in his hands - as you can see from the behind the scene image here. It  was not difficult to achieve by any means. All it took was some imagination and Elinchrom Ranger Quadras. 

Elinchrom's range of lighting modifiers works on the Ranger Quadras although some need an adaptor to fit. Nevertheless, it means that studio quality lighting can be easily applied on location for fashion, wedding photograph, portraiture, editorial - whatever. We here at Creative Photo Workshops love them and highly recommend them.

Last night's event was hard work - as these things always are for us - but it was a lot of fun. It was windy and we were wet and cold. Sand was getting into everything. I even lost my car keys at one point - something I have a proclivity for. But it was sooooo worthwhile. Running a photography workshops business is not an easy thing, but it is enjoyable and very rewarding. I now know what three decades of shooting everything conceivable was leading to. They were leading me here.

Our Natural Light People Photography Workshops

Just a few images from last Saturday's workshop with Roy and Kelly Jean which once again manifest my love for a long lens with a wide aperture. In this case, I used the Tamron 70-200 f2.8. This wonderful lens is less than half the price of the Nikon or Canon equivalents and yet proves its worth in its ability to really capture a sharp image. I am not a lens snob, using Nikon lenses because I have a Nikon camera. I love Nikon lenses and I have my share of them. But I have others also, most of which are Tamron - and I love them. I will use whatever works, whatever I have on hand, whatever lets me get the picture. In this case, it happened to be my Tamron 70-200.

Old Places, New Eyes...

Model: Roy Gaskin

Model: Kelly Jean

Creative Photo Workshops is a business that deals with the love of photography. In so doing, we believe that the essential principles of photographic technique need to be taught. That is what we do at our workshops. Photographers cannot succeed without a solid understanding of the fundamentals. But we also love to throw an event. Last night was one of those. It was a walk through Melbourne. We were joined by musician/model Roy Gaskin and the lovely Kelly Jean.

I have learned that there are two main reasons photographers put their cameras down for extended periods of time, perhaps even for good. One of them is disappointment. The other can often be the simple lack of inspiration, an apparent lack of things to photograph. The latter is rather difficult to believe, but I know that many who take up photography expect a life of inspiration, adventure and creative satisfaction. As the About Me page in my blog indicates, this has certainly been the case with me. Photography has granted me a life beyond my expectations - and there is much more to come. I also know, however, that my experience is not the norm. Rather, it has been the exception. For many, their surroundings have become too common, too 'everyday' to be inspirational. The people they know, the places they travel past, the architecture that surrounds them - all of these are common and uninteresting. That is until you bring in a pair of fresh eyes. Conversely, you can orchestrate opportunities for yourself that are interesting, individual, creative. All it takes is an idea and a bit of planning. This is where we come in. Its what we do.

Creative Photo Workshops enjoys offering our customers events in which they can bring their cameras and, with our assistance if needed, create wonderful, interesting or dynamic images that grant them the experience they expected from photography. Last night we simply gathered a group of photographers together and walked them through the evening streets of Melbourne. It was a lesson about new eyes on a familiar location. '

I have learned from running workshops interstate and internationally that often we tend to forget the interest that surrounds us daily - even in the suburbs and towns where we may have spent the majority of our lives. When you choose to renew your vision through the camera, new and interesting aspects of your daily life become more interesting and captivating. Learning to create opportunities within familiar contexts is also part of keeping your passion alive. That's why we do what we do. So far, our events have included a pinup shoot with a WWII bomber, an emerging nymph shoot featuring Top Model Sophie Van Den Akker, an abandoned homestead, Trash the Dress and many more.

What about you? Are you considering putting your camera down? Is photography becoming a disappointing exercise, a frustration? Is it less than you thought it would be for you? Then you have a problem. However, that problem is essentially...you. Some of the greatest photographers in history have been those who have captured their surroundings. They have never thought of life around them as uninteresting or lacking in inspirational content. Photographers like Henri Cartier Bresson and Joel Meyerowitz  found themselves capturing moments that pass most of us by each day and in so doing make images that are timeless in their message and composition. If you live in a suburb or even a street, you have a world before your lens to capture. Want some ideas? Try this website. 

Have you considered either of the two options mentioned above? Have you walked around your area with 'new eyes' looking for opportunities to create? Or, have you put some planning into a photo event for yourself and your photofriends? The world around you is filled with potential images. You only need to get interested in it, see it with the purpose of taking photographs and being creative. You will find it a particularly rewarding experience.

One Singular Illumination

 

The interplay of highlight and shadow is one of the most powerful tools a photographer has to play with. This interplay is a fine balance sometimes, but it is often at the heart of some of our most interesting and compelling images. Where many photographers often fail is in keeping this at the forefront of their lighting layout, remembering that both are needed to create the notions of texture and form in a two-dimensional image. In fact, where some photographers get this wrong is in their tendency to overlight. What do I mean by this? Its quite simple. There is often the tendency to believe that one light is too few and the technique too simple for anything dramatic or truly photographic to emerge. It is a fallacious tendency that often ruins the best of creative intentions. Just because a technique is simple it does not mean that it lacks creativity or impact. Keeping it simple is the difference between B.B. King and Yngwie Malmsteen. Both are very talented, but BB only plays four notes to Malmsteen's four hundred. That said, I could listen to BB for hours.

Yesterday found me once again out on a Creative Photo Workshops shoot. This time our model was Kelly Jean, a model with whom I had not worked since my original workshops some time back. Our location was yet another abandoned, ruined old structure somewhere in the middle of nowhere, the whereabouts of which I cannot divulge. Glynn - my partner in crime - and I saw this old armchair in the rubble and moved it smack bang into the middle of a concrete slab on this property. The starkness of the scene and the presence of some rather wonderful clouds gave us an idea to create the images you see here. You will see me blogging quite a bit about shoots such as these now that we have a new magazine in the planning and video tutorials to create for our new website. More on that to come... 

The real light on the day

Most of what I do for myself and teach our customers at photography workshops in terms of off camera flash is all based around using one flash, one single point of illumination. And why not? The entire planet is lit by one main light source by day.  This one light source creates enough shadow and highlight in the world around us that we can with our own eyes tell shape, form and texture. Why not keep this same lighting principle in our photographs - at least as a starting point?
The images you see in this blog post were all created using one small handheld flashgun connected to FlashWave III triggers and receivers. Using simple guide number calculations that we teach at our Creative Flash Photography workshops, we can quickly establish the aperture for our exposure. Its a simple matter then of selecting the corresponding shutter speed to either match the ambient, or underexpose it. I usually opt to underexpose it to further highlight the subject. In this way, you are able to produce dramatic images straight from the camera. As you can see from the behind the scenes photographs taken by Natasha from Black Tulip Photography, the reality looks very different to the end product. Nevertheless, the images from the camera were very different due to the added flash and the choice of exposure for the ambient. Sure, each of these images has clearly seen a few minutes of PhotoShop. But the images out of the camera needed to be what they were in order for these finished products to have emerged. 

It is quite evident in these images that one light was enough to create the desired, ethereal effect. No additional lighting was required. In fact, it wasn't even really considered, which is odd, seeing as we brought six or seven flashguns with us. I always start with one light, adding more only if they are needed. I may modify that light with a Honl grid or some other accessory, but I find that usually I start and finish with one. One light is always my starting point in the studio too. Where many photographers who are learning studio lighting techniques err is in their enthusiasm for turning on every flashhead in the place to see what happens. A word to the wise if you don't mind. Turn on one light and then see where you need another one - if you do. Keeping it simple is usually the key to success in terms of lighting.God did.It works. 

Shooting and Teaching.

This coming year will see some interesting and wonderful developments for Creative Photo Workshops. Our team is dedicated to producing a new e-Magazine, a new tutorial website and an internet TV channel - all with the aim of educating the passionate photographer. We are aligning ourselves with the best businesses and people to make all of this happen. I will keep you posted here with details in the next couple of days. 

With these plans comes the need to keep shooting. In order to remain fresh and inspired, the CPW team (of which I am proudly a part) keeps organising shoots. Last Friday we met in an abandoned factory compound in Kensington and had the joyous experience of once again shooting with the lovely Lauren Busacca. Lauren is a beautiful young dancer, model and makeup artist with whom it is always a pleasure to work. She will be joining us soon for our City Walk event. 

This particular shoot was organised to align itself with the lead article in our upcoming e-Magazine. More on that later too. The lead article will be discussing the use of grids in our off camera flash photography. The tutorial we are creating will be a perfect companion to round out the lead article, revealing the simple benefits of using grids and the techniques behind the creation of dynamic strobist images. Here are just a few images from the day.

She's a Winner

Francine Cain

A few months ago, a lovely young woman by the name of Francine Cain won the Rob Guest Endowment 2010 award. Francine is a lovely young woman whose talents will soon be very evident as she plays Regina in Rock of Ages. I am sure that will prove to be the beginning of a long and wonderful career for her. Among her many prizes as winner of the Rob Guest award was a day having her photographs taken by Shelton Muller, Photographer. Second prize was two days. 

Sorry folks. Its an oldie but a goodie. It was there. I had to use it.

ANZ Trustees, for whom I do my fair share of commercial work, made my photography part of the package she so deservedly won. There are times when doing photography for a bank can be somewhat...mundane. Not that we ever take our work opportunities for granted, but its true. However, I was really looking forward to this creative opportunity, and the chance to be one of the photographers who helps someone along a the outset of their illustrious career. It also means that I might score some tickets to the show. Maybe even a backstage pass!

Well, one can hope...

Anyway...after months of trying to synchronise our schedules, Francine and I were finally able to meet in the city for a shoot. She had been to New York (where she bought that leopard print coat!) and was now back, so we got a few free hours together. We met in the old city square for coffee and then started our shoot in and around Hosier Lane in Melbourne. Photographers in our fair city know this lane well. It is perhaps the most colourful place in the entire city, with building walls filled with artful graffiti that is constantly updated and encouraged. I thought it a perfect match for Francine's colourful personality and her ideas for some 'different' photographs to the ones she already had. 

Francine had already had some very beautiful studio photographs taken and so we thought we would do some location stuff - a little bit 'street' with a few variations on a theme. I kept it simple, using single off camera flash techniques and available light. Francine brought a few different outfits and we had some fun together for a few hours, laughing through each setup and telling passing Chinese tourists that Francine was a famous singer. Clamouring to be photographed with her, they passed their cameras to me and posed for their snaps with a celebrity.

Well, Francine is not quite world famous yet. But as my friend Glynn Lavender says - its not lying. 

Its 'futurespeak'.

I wish you every success Francine. It couldn't happen to a nicer person.