Crazy Funny Ideas

All Photos ©JoAnne Kalish

I have the flu and I'm trying to clean up something as I feel too unproductive just resting. I came across some shots of a Pev, a model I've used and worked with on many occasions. I did some crazy cards with adopted animals that were trained to do tricks. I think funny always works.

Mermaid Parade 2011 Photo Workshop

Well a fun day was had by all.  Great to be outside all day long on a glorious day, doing what I love to do most.

Tip for the day day is on aperture. What aperture should you use for portraiture?  For a head shot of a single person I generally like to open up to a wide f/stop to blur out my background. That's my preference because I like the look of it and find it particularly attractive and it makes for a stronger photograph. When used on women (who we have to be more careful with) it softens the face and complexion leaving the most important feature sharp which is the eyes. However, there are exceptions especially when you are shooting in crowds and where there are lots of people and different things happening such as at the Mermaid Parade, where I just did a workshop. In a situation like this, where you want to be flexible and spontaneous, you might want to choose to use a medium depth-of-field for a little more depth of field. When a situation arises and you have a little more time to to make a change and want to throw more of your background out-of-focus and again to get a stronger photo, open up your aperture, that is, providing you have the light. Again, in the studio I like to choose a shallow depth of field especially for women.  Studio lights can show imperfections and reveal too much. If the person is young and their complexion is good,  you have choices, but the older we get the more lines and imperfections we get on our faces and the more we notice them.  So, the photographer should be aware of this. When photographing more than one person you need a medium aperture to make sure your subjects are in focus. For children, more times then not because they can't hold still sometimes a choice of  a medium to small aperture is better.

 

Pet Peeve #1 Does Your Work Really Belong In A Gallery?

© JoAnne Kalish

I've spent years working to develop a style of my own. Many upcoming photographers think that after a short amount of time acquiring a few skills their work is good enough to be should be shown in a gallery. A lot of amateur photographers pay to be shown in a gallery. Does your work really belong in a gallery just yet? Is there a theme to your work? A personal style? Or is it another picture of an old barn, a seagull or photos from your last vacation all framed up so nice, where you spend hundreds on matting and framing - the presentation may be professional but is it really art? Think about it. It brings the art of photography down - there's more to it then you think. Develop a style, hone your craft really work on it. Keep striving to make photographs rather than pictures have them say something about you, what do you care about? What do you most like to photograph? Nature? People, Portraiture? Sports? Fashion? Still Life? I can go on but won't. If you can't make up your mind try keeping your work in categories - all  portraiture together, all sports etc. See what you're best at and go with your strongest suit possibly. Develop and round out the category. What's it missing to make it better? When putting your best photos together remember this rule - "When in Doubt Leave it Out." What photos are weak and should be replaced to make a stronger statement?  

Holiday Wishes

Would like to thank all of our great students who sent us greetings for a wonderful Holiday Season. 

The Dyna-lite alumni group has recently got in touch with us and requested a second advanced Dyna-lite studio workshop.  We will be adding it to our 2011 schedule. For those interested date will be announced in an upcoming newsletter.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Capturing the Moment before Losing the Light

It's not even Winter yet and there is never enough daylight for me. Before you know it the light is gone - I hate it!  Luckily I worked quickly and used fill flash to capture these photos watching out for background reflections.  Dan was getting some practice in before he performed that evening. Work quickly, watch your background by keeping it as clean as possible and out-of-focus, by using a wide open aperture to throw it out.  Photos ©MMX J. Kalish

2010 Fall Workshop

Photos © JoAnne Kalish 

We had a great Fall Workshop this past Sunday in the Upper Delaware. I surprised everybody by bringing in two very pretty students, we used as models. The young ladies, Delanie and Jacqueline were great. We started the workshop at the Farm and the Llamas were curious, gentle, and followed us around as we photographed them.  We then went back to the barn as it was feeding time and worked with the animals a little more. In the back of the barn we found a window with some good side light. We utilized this window for our portraits using a little fill.  We worked on body placement, how to get a Rembrandt patch and simple direction. I took them to another favorite spot of mine where the lighting is so soft and beautiful for additional portraiture work.  We then went on to Luna Parc and worked on graphics. Students had an opportunity to meet artist Ricky Boscarino of Luna Parc along with another artist Greg Hicho as they collaborated on a new mosaic piece. We ended our workshop at one of the many local waterfalls learning how to work with the fluidity of water, nature's colorful fall palette, in beautiful autumn light.  

Montauk Point Long Island Late September

© JoAnne Kalish 

Recently spent a week in Montauk Long Island staying at  friend's Tommy & Theresa beautiful home. Thank you so much Tommy, Theresa, & daughter Victoria -  it was great!  Haven't been to Montauk in a long, long, time and have always loved the place.  Brought back wonderful memories of deep sea shark & giant tuna fishing, old friends, fun times, good memories & of course the unforgettable Captain Frank Mundus and our Discovery Channel Special.

Made some great photos, swam in the cold ocean, which by the way, was the best!  Had lots of wonderful fresh seafood and chilled out while there.  I photographed early morning sunrises & sunsets at Montauk Point Lighthouse, Fishermen, and waves crashing along the shoreline. Only wish we had more time to stay.

Tips for those wanting to go - bring a tripod ( a must), shoot long exposures to capture the flow & motion of water, remember exposures for back light, silhouettes, when to use lots of depth-of- field & when to open up for shallow depth-of-field. Also remember your  fill flash for added dimension, & keep your photos clean and as simple as possible.

*Photo is available for purchase 

©JoAnne Kalish

Just posted a 2010 Fall Foliage Workshop in the Upper Delaware scheduled for Saturday October 2

2010 Mermaid Parade Festival Coney Island

Our most Recent Workshop was at the Mermaid Parade in Coney Island. Please double Click to see a few of the many faces from the Parade. It was a great day but hard working as a group in such a crowd. Shooting with a long lens was the answer most of the time as there was too much hustle and bustle of people rushing in as you were trying to make a photograph. It was a fun day in all!

Photos© MMX JoAnne Kalish

LOWER MANHATTAN WORKSHOP

Well another great group! It was a totally enjoyable teaching this workshop and meeting you all. A Great Sunday in the City

©MMX JoAnne Kalish

Lions, Tigers, and Monkeys...Oh my...

© MMX JoAnne Kalish
Bronx Zoo Workshop

The last time I was at the Bronx Zoo our son Dylan was maybe 6 years old and I remember loving it. Here it is many years later and we had a workshop at the zoo. It was thoroughly enjoyable, once again we had a great group. Unfortunately, we were a little surprised as there were some exhibits behind glass which was something we were not told about by Bronx Zoo PR people. In spite of this, I think we all got some great shots. The attached Tigers & Ebony Lampur Monkey was taken with a Sigma 300mm 2.8 and a 2x extender. Long fast lenses were the answer as always at the zoo.

Another Sucessful Workshop

Photos ©Dylan DiMaggio
This past Sunday I gave Joe a hand in teaching his first Adorama Workshop since his bi-lateral hip surgery just a couple of weeks ago. It was taught in Brooklyn's Dumbo area and at Gleason's Gym. Despite the fact the weather was not very cooperative, it was a great workshop and we had a wonderful group of people.

One of our locations was at Gleason's Gym which is always a fun place to shoot in because it's full of such an interesting array of people. There are graphics galore, great portraits to be made, action photos of people training whether it be in the ring, hitting speed bags, lifting weights, running, you name it. Many different photographic skills are required and most amateurs or even most semi-pros don't normally have this kind of exposure and access to shooting so many different types of situations all at once. It is, in my opinion, a great learning experience. Also many thanks to FDNY Firehouse Engine 205 on Middagh Street, one of the oldest fire departments in Brooklyn & Lieutenant Mallien for allowing us to bring along our group for a tour and to graciously allow us to do an environmental portrait of one of their firefighters. Thanks to Larry Malang, Dylan DiMaggio & Monica Cipnic for all their help with this workshop.

Snapshots, Pictures and Photographs

©MMX JoAnne Kalish
My life partner Joe DiMaggio has just had bilateral hip surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. It's been a long time coming. You might say I've been a little preoccupied with a million other things.

It's time to pick up that camera again and go back to work. As I walked the streets to and from the hospital I realized what a truly beautiful time of year it is and what I was not capturing out there with my camera. I heard my father's voice in my head reminding me Spring was his favorite time of year. I brought my camera along as I usually do but really did not have much time to use it, as I did not have time to dally along the way. I found myself taking mostly record pictures with my IPhone to keep family and friends abreast of Joe's progress. Taking photos on a phone is something I don't do often but it certainly worked in this case and was kind of fun.

I always tell my students that in photography there are snapshots, pictures, and photographs. Snapshots and pictures are taken but photographs are made and I always strive to make photographs but there are certainly occasions for all and this was one of them.

Studio Portraits Using Strobes

Photos©JoAnne Kalish

The idea of using strobes is a little daunting at first but if you're interested in learning how, here is a tip someone once gave me. When you thumb threw a magazine and find a studio portrait you really love, cut it out and study it. Do this with several photos not just one. Look into the models eyes. Do you see any catch lights? How many do you see? This is a good indication of where the lights were placed. It sometimes is even obvious if you look closely whether a soft box umbrella,beauty dish or what have you was used.

In the past students have asked me about sponsorship. Just for the record, yes Dyna-lite is a sponsor of the DiMaggio-Kalish Workshops but I've been using Dyna-lite prior their sponsorship for many years. The president of Dyna-lite, Peter Poremba, is absolutely dedicated to making the best possible electronic flash equipment for the least amount of money. More important than that, he is truly dedicated to photo education.




Strobes by Dyna-lite

Shutter Speed along with Motion Adds Dimension

©JoAnne Kalish

When you photograph a waterfall or a stream you learn you can capture a certain feel to your scene by shooting at a slow shutter speed. It's necessary to use a tri-pod of course and preferably a self timer or hand-held release. You can take this technique to other situations as well. I like to add another dimension to my work, using motion whenever I can. I think it adds more interest. It doesn't have to be a very slow shutter speed but just enough. It's not always necessary here to use a tripod, unless you're shooting really slow. By experimenting, you find out what shutter speed works for different situations. Here are just two examples.
JoAnne Kalish

Think in terms of making a photograph not merely recording the scene.