Film Beginnings

A little less than a month ago I began my adventure with film photography. For many months, maybe even since about a year I have noticed how I resonate with the expression that film allows viewers to feel. Seeing the beauty of film, I have wanted to try it myself for quite some time. Needless to say a few weeks ago I made a new friend who turned out to be a film camera seller, and it all began from there. Here are some of my first shots with my Olympus OM-2n, Fujicolor Superia 800. :)

M Kat

Five Photo Shoot Tips for Dancers

Many dancers who have dedicated years of their life to the art of dance may have seen beautiful photos of others dancers and thought, "I want a photo shoot too!" If you have experienced that thought, regardless of the kind of dancer you are here are five tips to help you feel ready for your photo shoot experience. 

1. Attire

The most frequent question that is asked by dancers is a question that most clients in general wonder when going into a shoot; "What should I wear?" Keep it simple. If you were shooting with me I would tell you to come in a leotard, a simple dress, or a neutral colored shirt with dark bottoms. Unless this photo shoot is for a concept that requires a unique outfit or your dance style is one that calls for outfits out of those mentioned above then especially as a minimalist dance photographer I will tell you to again, keep it simple. 

2. Location

If you have a spot that you would love to shoot at, go for it. Having said that let me tell you what I have found throughout shooting the past years: where you shoot is not as important as who you shoot. What matters far more than the location is you as the dancer, your technique and style. When you see photos on dance magazines, Instagram and Facebook which photos make you go "wow"? You may be surprised to notice that the backgrounds may be a simple backdrop or a place that does not take attention away from the dancer. The highlight is you, not the spot. If you are looking for a specific place, pick one that you would mean a lot to you, or again if this is for a concept pick a place that compliments your theme. Besides that, I would love to tell you, don't stress about it. :)

3. Time  

If you are doing a photo shoot outdoors, go with the morning. What I appreciate most with my dancers is their willingness to take on the task of waking up early to shoot in the morning. Why? I firmly believe that the natural lighting for dancers is best at that time. I hold much respect to those who prefer to shoot during the afternoon, but I love the morning clouds and also would rather know that the lighting will be nice and even for the shoot even if you run late. The risk with afternoon shoots is that if the client falls behind on schedule, you may not have time or light left. Though I have had successful shoots during the day, I would recommend mornings.

 


 

4. When am I ready?

As artists, dancers often have something to express; a message they consciously or subconsciously convey through movement. The question as to when you are ready for a shoot is up to you to decide. As a dance photographer I feel that if you have found your dance style, if you have noticed that there are specific poses that you find yourself doing, you are more than ready to have your movement be photographed. The most beautiful shots I have been privileged to take are ones when the dancers have their own poses, their own movement. It is beautiful not only because of the technique but because it holds something precious to them. I want to shoot you of course as a dancer, but I want to shoot you as a person and what you have to share.

5. General Advice?

Lastly, here are a few notes of advice to you especially if you shoot with me.

If we shoot outdoors, you know it will most likely be in the morning. Bring warm socks. Bring extremely warm socks. Also if it is in the morning be ready to make the sacrifice for yourself of waking up early. If convenience is your goal then we are not a good match! I shoot mornings for the art of photography, not so much because I like the idea of making people wake up early for the sake of waking people up early. Now if we do a studio shoot or we are shooting in an area where there is even lighting throughout most of the day (like my new area here in Portland) things will be much different and we both may get better sleep :).

Prepare ahead of time. There is nothing like going into a shoot knowing that your signature poses are refined. I will definitely help your shots be as beautiful as can be, having the perspective of a dancer myself but as a photographer I always appreciate it when clients are prepared and ready for what they are investing in.

Be ready to do improvisation. Not only is it my favorite style of dance, but some of my most successful shots have been found while the dancer was doing improv. I truly love this style of dance because it helps me see who you are, and often the best shots are done through it. 


I hope that this has helped you feel more prepared for your photo shoot. These tips I wanted to share with you not so much to feel generous on this Monday morning, but for the art of dance and my love for it. If you have any more questions feel free to drop them down below.

M Kat
 

Sister Grit

Many of you may know but one of the main things I specialize in as a photographer is dance photography. Last week I got a chance to work with these three awesome dancers who are a trio called Sister Grit. They are based here in Portland Oregon. These dancers are creative, talented and definitely adventurous. What a privilege to shoot with them. 

M Kat

Self-Portrait

When I saw this tree and the leaves all around it, I couldn't help but place myself in the middle of the beauty. I'm a sucker for red and orange. On top of that fall is my favorite season. Luckily I was wearing clothing that matched the scenery. :)

M Kat

Respecting Photography

Last week I gained a further love and respect for the craft of photography. Visually I have been rather confident about the art of photography - where you conceptualize an image in your mind, but until last week I have been lacking so much in the ability of refining the craft of it. 

This image is one of my absolute favorite created so far. Given the lighting and the degree of aperture desired, I needed a tripod to take the shot. In the past I was the type of photographer that would not take tripods with me because it didn't allow me to take the photo "in the moment," so to get the image with the specific aperture I wanted I would jack up the ISO. Frankly speaking I was too lazy and didn't find it appealing to bring another photography apparatus. For those who know, higher ISO = noisier images. On our trip to Mt. Tabor I decided to take the tripod with me because I was determined to keep the image quality high and retain the ISO at 100. I am so glad I did, because I feel it made a worlds difference in the quality of the shot.

There is still a lot more I need to learn in terms of photography equipment, but for as of last week, I've gained the appreciation of the tripod for the craft of photography.

More to come.

M Kat

Airplane Fun

Last weekend my husband and I took a short trip back to Los Angeles for a friend's wedding. It was a short trip but a nice trip. The next few posts will be photos from my experience back. Today's post will be the photos I took in the airplane.

It had been a few months since the last time that I got to fly on an airplane. Being on it again was so exhilarating! Airplanes to me not only mean adventure but being immersed in the clouds, which is one of my favorite things in the world. So you may not be surprised to read that my favorite part of being on an airplane is to spectate the magnificent clouds from above.

M Kat

Random Cat

When on an outing, my favorite thing to find and photograph are animals. I've especially got a love for cats!

I will be taking a short trip down to California this weekend, look forward to seeing some Cali-views. Hopefully some California creatures :)

At first the cat didn't seem interested, but within minutes I was struggling to get a photo because it turns out that this one was a snuggle-buns.

100mm.

M Kat

Rainy Days

Appreciating the rain. It's such a beautiful part of living here on Earth.

M Kat

First Time Ferret Holding

The other day my husband and I went downtown for a little shopping endeavor. A few minutes after entering Director Park we found a ferret on a leash, being walked by his owner and his brother. It was such a cute sight to see. The little ferret was just exploring the sidewalk on his little leash. Being an animal lover, I could not help but approach the man for a photo. 

Taking a photo of him turned into getting a photo taken of myself with the cute little creature.
This is it went:

"Can I take a picture of your ferret? Would you like to be in the shot?"
"Sure"

"You want to hold it?"
"Sure!"

Having never held a ferret, lets say I struggled to help the little guy feel comfortable being held. As a chinchilla owner I'm used to holding onto the base of a long tail, but ferrets need their feet held so... this is how I held it haha.

M Kat

Patty

In-home shoot with Patty. 

I believe in the saying naturally beautiful.

There is something timeless about a smile, a laugh.

M Kat

In-home Blur Shot Tutorial

For a little while I had been wanting to play with motion shots, so a week or so ago I went ahead and tried it within my own home. I was very happy with the results so I would like to share with you how it worked. The setting was as follows:

Background: A wall in the dining room, open window to my right.
Lighting: All of the lights in the home were off leaving the room very dark except for the light from the window. When you set up your home you may think "it's way too dark to get images as bright as the ones shown on your page." Just give it a try. You will be surprised how much light will be captured with the following setting given below.
Camera setting: My camera was mounted on a tripod. There were minimal variations between the images, but lets discuss the settings based off of the first photo. The aperture was f/1.8 with the shutter speed at 1.3 seconds. ISO was at 250. The lens: 50mm f/1.4 but a 50mm f/1.8 should do the job just fine. The coloring varies due to post-editing.  

This was such a great project for me because honestly I don't usually like photographing myself, as I honestly don't perceive myself to be quite the beauty queen, but this has helped me a lot in terms of self-confidence and looking at myself from both a photographer's view and as an individual.

For those who give it a try, let me know how it went! Feel free to post your results, I would love to see how you all did. Any questions, leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

M Kat

Puddle Works

What do you do with puddles? :)

M Kat