The Digital Photography Show #80: Taking Better Portraits with Erin Manning and Shootsac reprised!
The Digital Photography Show #80: Taking Better Portraits with Erin Manning and Shootsac reprised! (54Mb, 77 mins)
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January 14, 2008: Welcome to the eightieth episode of The Digital Photography Show!
If you’ve ever wanted to take better portraits – or if you’ve thought of going into business as a portrait photographer – you’ll want to check out today’s interview with Erin Manning, photographer and author of Portrait and Candid Photography: Photo Workshop.
Erin and I talk about what focal length to use for portraits, how to manipulate light to flatter your subjects and ways to get better, more relaxed and flattering poses. We also cover some business basics of portraiture, such as what you should say to potential customers and what’s the best way to show them your work.
I met Erin briefly at PPE, and I have to say I wasn’t sure what to expect on today’s interview. Suffice it to say she’s our newest Friend of the Show – totally charming, full of valuable information and able to communicate her knowledge in a way that’s accessible and interesting. What’s not to love?
Buy her book, OK? We’ll be giving away a copy to a lucky listener who signs up for her free newsletter. Listen to the show for more details.
Michael and I start the show by talking about what he’s been up to – 2008 hasn’t started out too well for him. But that just means it’s going to get better! We love you, Michael!
At the end of the show, I replay last week’s interview with Keats Elliot from Shootsac that I taped back in November at PhotoPlus Expo. The interview got cut off for most people who downloaded the show, so I present it again in its entiretly. The Shootsac is a super-light and stylish way for the active shooter to carry your lenses. If you’re really fashion-forward, you can even customize your Shootsac to match your personality – or even your outfit!
It’s too bad the interview got cut off – I heard from a lot of you who were really interested in the Shootsac, and a few of you who were even motivated to buy one. The initial listener reviews are good.
If you’d like to win a Shootsac, listen to the show, and send us the answer that completes the phrase “Can a camera bag really change the way you ____?” Send us your answer at TheDigitalPhotographyShow@gmail.com by January 30th, when we will randomly pick a correct entry.
If you’ve gotten a new digital camera for the holidays, or if you’ve received a new software program that you want to know how to use, check out xTrain, a great web-based learning resource. They have a ton of online videos that will teach you how to do pretty much everything with your camera – and your computer – that you might ever want to do. And exclusively for our listeners, they offer a 15% off discount on any xTrain course or membership plan by using the code DPS on the page you’ll find here.
We’re in the very last days of our latest photo contest, “Spotlight on Giving.†You can see all the terrific entries on our show photo album www.dps.phanfare.com. The prize will be a wonderful Wacom tablet. Thanks, Wacom!
Here are the rules for DPS Photo Contest #7:
Title: A Spotlight on Giving
Theme: A subject demonstrating the act of giving.
Technique: Add a vignette to your image. A vignette can draw the viewers eye to the subject of your photo.
You can achieve a vignette by:
- Darkening around the subject, highlighting it. This works because the eye is generally drawn to the lightest object in a photo. (You can also do a reverse vignette, which lightens the area around your subject, although it’s rarely done, and rarely done well).
- Adding a selective blur around the subject, so it’s the sharpest thing in your photo.
- Email jpg images to dpscontest@gmail.com.
- The image must be in jpg format, and no more than 800 pixels on its widest side.
- You may only enter three photographs.
- If more than three photographs are entered, the first three received shall be entered.
- The photo must be one that you created.
- Please include the original exif info within the image.
- Rename the image file with the photographers first and last name (so we know its yours).
- If you are inclined to title your image (titles are optional):
- Append the title after the photographers name of the image file name.
- Example file name: MichaelStein_ElbowStuckInEar.jpg
- Only one image per entrant can be eligible as a finalist.
- Please provide us permission to post the image on our Phanfare site.
- Photos will be accepted through Friday, 19 January, 2008.
Enjoy Being Creative!
If you want to buy DXO Optics Pro, remember the 20% discount they are only offering to listeners of this show. Try the program for free, and when you’re ready to buy, use the code DXODPS.
Please remember to sign up for email notifications from our show! Every podcast subscription service out there – and that includes you, our beloved iTunes, has a bad habit of sometimes unsubscribing you from the shows you enjoy. Like this one (we hope!).
If you just click here to Subscribe to TPN :: The Digital Photography Show by Email you’ll get the weekly posts announcing each new show in you email. How cool is that? You’ll also be letting us know how many of you care enough to take the time to subscribe, which will put big dumb smiles on our faces. Isn’t that reason enough to sign up?
We’d love to hear what you thought of the show either here on the blog or at TheDigitalPhotographyShow@gmail.com.
We also appreciate the sponsorship of Wacom (www.wacom.com) and Lensbabies (www.lensbabies.com), two great products for when you want to get creative with your photography.
Wanna participate in the show?
- Send us an email at TheDigitalPhotographyShow@gmail.com.
- Leave a comment at www.TheDigitalPhotographyShow.com
- Call in a voice mail to US 301-637-7767
- Join the listener-run (thanks Laurel and Frank!) Flickr group Friends of The Digital Photography Show at http://flickr.com/groups/thedps.
Thanks for joining us. We hope enjoy this week’s show. Shoot safe!
Scott
January 16th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I’ve looked at this book and several other books in this series, but personally I’m not a people photographer, I prefer landscapes and architecture. I do have this book on my Chapters.Indigo.ca wishlist though. (Indigo.ca is to Canada what Amazon.com or Borders is to the USA.)
I currently have from Photo Workshop;
Lighting Photo Workshop by Chris Bucher
Composition Photo Workshop by Blue Fier (is that a real name?)
Photos That Inspire: Photo Workshop by Lynne Eodice
I’m waiting for;
Exposure Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent by Jeff Wignall
Canon EOS Digital Photography Photo Workshop by Serge Timacheff
Rick Sammon’s Canon Eos Digital Rebel Personal Training Photo Workshop, Book And Dvd by Rick Sammon (of course)
January 16th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
I’m using a 1tb drive. (SimpleTech ProDuo) which uses 2 500gb drives in RAID 1) I use Symantec Ghost software to backup my files and I am satisfied with it.
January 16th, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Hi, I’m listening to the latest Podcast and in response to your question about backup software. On the Mac I have been using SuperDuper for about a year. It (as the name implies) replicates your drive to another drive. It’s very smart and can be configured to do other stuff, but I just run it every night and very quickly updates my backup drive to match my primary drive. I can’t say enough about it. I’ve never had a single glitch. Perhaps the Leopard operating “time machine” function will take care of the backup problem–I’m not using Leopard, but for anybody else I would recommend SuperDuper without reservation. It’s fairly inexpensive (about $50 I think). Actually, I think you can use it for free if you don’t need all the features.
January 17th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Thanks for the feedback, everyone.
I’ve heard some people like Ghost, PSilver, but I”ve had some awful problems with Symantec programs messing up my computers. Their tech support was awful, too.
Other ideas?
January 17th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Hey, guys the show cut off on me again. The show I got through the feed was only 21 minutes long??? I will try and get the show directly from the website and see if that works. :(
January 18th, 2008 at 12:28 am
Scott/Michael et al,
Great interview with Erin Manning. She was as informative as she was charming. I still can’t get over how much I learn each time I listen to the podcasts. Continued success in 2008.
January 18th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Yeah!!! A woman photographer! Nice interview, jam-packed with nice tips. I have subscribed to her newsletter and blog.
I have been pushing for Jessica Claire as a guest for your show for quite awhile. She could be awful on air, not sure. But her photography is stunning. Keep her in mind for a future show. She is the one behind the Shootsac!
I love those Shootsac bags, but talk about expensive! It is affordable for the same person who can afford one of those MacBook Airs. Not me.
Again, great show. And Scott, your questions are fantastic.
January 19th, 2008 at 6:40 am
I just got a hold of Erin’s book and I find it excellent. Her style of writing is really quite easy to follow and she mixes well the different concepts that go into making a great (candid) portrait. I especially like her assignments they make it feel like there is a direction.
JPO
January 19th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Syncback is IMO the best backup software for windows, period. It’s free, flawless and extremely flexible. I’ve used it in many different scenarios without a single issue.
http://www.2brightsparks.com/syncback/syncback-hub.html
On my mac I use psync. It’s great if you don’t mind the command line.
Pat
January 20th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Just wanted to mention that the DPS is the #2 featured show on the Canadian iTunes Store under “Society and Culture” podcasts.
Also TPN’s Napoleon 101 is #9!
January 21st, 2008 at 12:04 am
I use Mozy for off site backup. I have a Mac, but it works on the PC as well. It cost $5 a month (I spend more than that a day on coffee) and it’s unlimited off-site back up. I backup my entire iTunes, photo collection, documents, etc. I can get the files anywhere I have access to a computer and for a small fee, they will put the files on DVD and send them to you.
As an aside, after being a new listener to the show, I downloaded every past episode and listened to them (that’s a lot of listening). I went out yesterday and bought a Wacom. So you’re advertisers are definitely making money off me. :) Thanks for the great show.
January 21st, 2008 at 4:08 am
Hi,
First of all, I love the show. Always interesting and very informative. I have a question about lenses, and would really appreciate help. I have a Canon XTi, and want to buy a macro lense. I have seen some of the outstanding, crystal clear close ups of bugs, etc, where you can really see the hairs on a fly, the eyes, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions for such a lense, or for what type of lense is normally used for these great, clear close-ups? I have seen some examples of lensbaby shots, and they don’t seem similiar to the kind of shots I am talking about. I have about $400 to spend. Thanks very much.
Clint
January 21st, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Hi Guys!
You’re traveling this week, so I don’t imagine there’s much you can do right away about the issue I’m about to raise. It’s possible you may not want to do anything about it. But anyway…
I entered your Spotlight On Giving photo contest, so I’ve been watching the entries. It confused me that the Phanfair album said there were 111 entries, but the last entry was labeled #99. So I went through the numbers and found that the numbers 49 through 58 are duplicated – there’s two entries for each of those numbers. There are also two #62 entries and no #61 entry.
Perhaps none of this is important, but I find it confusing so I thought I’d point it out.
Thanks for the show and the contests!
Carl
January 21st, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Ooops! That should be #50 through #58 are duplicated. There is only one #49.
Carl
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
I used SyncToy by Microsoft for backing up files.
The amazing thing is that it’s free, it works, and it’s from Microsoft.
It’s pretty easy to use. Website states it’s for XP, but I’m using it on Vista with no problems.
Thanks for they show. Look forward to it every week.
And now, the link:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/synctoy.mspx
January 22nd, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Hi Scott and Michael,
Thank-you for having Erin on your show. She was very informative and I enjoyed the interview. Her website is a great way to get ideas on taking portraits.
Viva Las Vegas! Wish I was there, too!
Leslie
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:07 pm
FYI: The DXO Optics Pro discount of 20% had expired on January 1, 2008. I have talked to a sales person from DXO and they have confirmed that this promotion has expired and will not be extended. However there may be a future discount coming soon.
The first time I heard about DXO was from this podcast. I decided to try and then but DXO only to find out that I missed the 20% discount. :( Hopefully DXO will provide us with a TPN show discount in the near future. Many thanks to DXO for their past discounts to TPN listeners!
Brian
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:01 am
The most difficult thing for me is a portrait. You have to try and put your camera between the skin of a person and his shirt. -Henri Cartier-Bresson, “Photography Year 1980, LIFE Library of Photography”
I really enjoyed the Erin’s tips on portraits, kids are my least favorite portrait subjects. I will have to try some of the tips the next time I photograph kids.
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Clint, The object is fast glass to get clear shots. You can use a 35mm or I use a 50mm. You can pick up a 50mm f1.8 lens from Ritz (depending on your location) that shoots pretty clear for around $100. I need to get closer to my subject, but the shots come out clear. You could go with the 50mm f1.2 for about $1500. The price and the speed you can’t beat it.
January 24th, 2008 at 9:23 am
Scott – Ref: Backups
I use Windows and for years I have been using syncback, which there is a free version of and it is very easy to use and is very solid. It is very powerful and adaptable and may be just what you’re looking for.
That said, I just decided it was time to get really serious about my backups so I bought one of those new Windows Home Server machines from HP and stuck a couple of tb worth of drives in it – it uses a flavor of RAID that allows you to add, replace or remove drives on the fly.
So far the WHS has been as easy to use as advertised. I’ve always known I should have been using a server instead of NAS and USB external drives especially as our household (2 prolific photographers, pc and laptops all over the place) requirements became larger and more involved. I think that is what WHS is – it’s a server for those of us who know we need one but are too lazy or incompetent to build and maintain it ourselves.
My old backup system worked OK but with WHS I really feel like I can sleep easy although I still need to re-establish my off-site backup.
Hope this helps – Martin
January 29th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Erin’s approach and philosophy to portraits is great. As a single dad to a four year old, I have found that engaging with my subject, and shooting him in his favorite environment, be it amongst toys, other children, nature, seems to work the best. I am a huge fan of shallow depth of field. Also, I find that working with a “prime lens” of a fixed focal length, and that makes me “work” with my subject, is fun. The fact that my Nikon D40 makes me select glass that has to be of the SWM/HSM variety to auto focus, or not, as in the case of my favorite portrait lens, the f/1.8 50mm (which is manual focus on the D40), has taught me a lot about “old school” photography, where you are not “spoiled” by a zoom lens, and you are moving in and out from your subject. I DO wish Nikon would come out with SWM versions of their primes. Would I LOVE to see a SWM version of the 35 or 50mm lens. Especially where there are so many 1st time photographers that have been introduced to photograohy via the D40/D40X.
Arthur