“It’s Time.” Self-Portrait Challenge. Levitation.

Hi everyone!

            I hope everyone is doing well and keeping busy.  I myself have recently joined a group of photographers that meetup every month.  My goal is to become inspired and most of all learn.  So,  I recently entered a photography contest that focused on fine art photography.  The challenge was to create your own levitation photograph.  I had never done this nor did it ever occur to me to do it.   Challenge accepted!  My first thought was that it would be great as my self-portrait challenge.  My second thought, when the hell is the occurrence of levitation perfectly acceptable or expected?  I could not simply take a photograph of myself levitating.  I felt the thought to be incomplete.  I had to create a story.  I had to create a world where levitation would be expected, where levitation would be the only logic.  So, this is the result.  As far as the long hair, I have an incredible set of hair extensions.  This was used to show motion and direction.

 

“It’s Time.”

Fine-art photography really is a challenge for me.  It is completely out of my comfort zone.  Yet, I am achieving my goal of being creative and becoming inspired.  I do feel that I need to work more on my blending of different photographs.  It was also extremely difficult for me to make sure that the different layers had the same hues, brightness, contrast, and color balance.  This  artwork is actually a composite of five different photographs.  On another note, I discovered a really neat way of doing sun rays.  I will post the link to the youtube video later.

Enjoy!

Aimee Michelle

“Bollywood Inspiration” a preview

I have been selfish and keeping this photo to myself. I absolutely love the way this came out. A preview to my “Bollywood Inspiration” shoot.

Aimee

On Location Quinceanera Shoot.

This shoot was done on location of a Quinceanera.   These photos were taken right when the sun was starting to go down and it created such warmth.  It is always a challenge when shooting outdoors, but it can create very beautiful results.

What to do when YOUR in the picture. Bringing out the Emotion.

What do you do when YOUR in the picture? Do you panic?  Do you get nervous?  What do you do?  RELAX.  Breathe in and let out a big sigh.    You will find that by being able to relax, that your photo session can actually become really fun.  It is great to be in a wonderful pose and in the best angles, but as a portrait photographer, I realize that it is all about your face.  Body language is fantastic; however, if your face is telling another story, it does not work.  How do you get that certain facial expression?  Once you are in your pose and settled in, think about something, ANYTHING!  Think about someone that makes you smile or maybe a joke that makes you laugh.  Think about that special someone and all the great moments.  Go into character.  Think that you are a sexy spy or that mischievous librarian that is talking too loud.  The point is to have a thought in mind and react to it while in front of the camera.  In that way, your emotion will come through and bring your photographs to life.  This will make all the difference between a lifeless photograph that is without emotion, and a brilliant photograph, that has that certain sparkle in your eyes.  

Happy Photographing,

Aimee Michelle

How many people can come with me to a photo shoot?

Many clients often wonder “how many people can come with me to a photo shoot?”  The answer to this question will vary.  This is a question that must be discussed with your photographer before the photo shoot.  Each photographer is different and each has a different style of working. As a general rule, you do not want to bring everyone and your grandma to the photo shoot unless they are going to be in the portrait.  For family portraits, it is best to not bring anyone along because the photographer will already be extremely busy trying to coordinate an entire family.  For individual portraits, most photographers consider it okay to bring along one person to the shoot; however, they will usually end up assisting.  If the person getting photographed is a minor, there must be a parent or guardian present.  If you are a model and would like an escort present, you must speak with your photographer before because in the modeling world, escorts are somewhat looked at negatively.  If you do decide to bring another person along to a photo shoot and your photographer gave you the okay, then that person needs to have manners.  Once the photo shoot starts, the photographer is in work mode. Comments and suggestions should have been discussed with the photographer before the shoot, and there is no need for the person you brought along to be interrupting or slowing down the photo shoot.  If the person is asked to wait outside or away from the location, this is normal.  Do not get insulted or offended.  It is very distracting to both the photographer and the client to have someone else present.  The photographer is trying to make you the client, feel as comfortable as possible to get the best shot possible. There are also many photographers that do not allow anyone else to be brought along. This is just the way they work and are not trying to insult anyone.  If you do not feel comfortable with this, discuss it with your photographer and try to work something out. Again, these are all guidelines to give you a better idea and help you decide with your photographer what is best for both of you.

til next time,

Aimee Michelle

www.aimeemichellemercado.com

How to take better pictures with your camera

Who doesn’t have a camera these days? Whether it be a point n shoot or a camera phone, these few suggestions will help you to start taking better pictures with your camera. 

1. Don’t chop off heads
2. No bright backgrounds. A bright background may cause the person to look dark.
3. Your subject should be well lit.
4.  Don’t take pictures from the bottom up.  They cause your nose to look big, and nostrils aren’t very sexy.
5. Take pictures with the camera slightly above your head tilting it towards you.
6.  Zoom in.  They make pictures more personal and let your subject be the star.
7. When pushing the shutter button to take the picture, slowly breathe out and this will avoid shaking.
8. When counting to 3, take the picture on 2 1/2, you will have better chances at having everyone with their eyes open and smiling.
9. Clean your lens with a lens cloth to avoid fingerprints and specs showing up on your pictures.
10.  Try to discover new angles and have fun practicing!