APPLYING TO A MODEL AGENCY

As a photographer, and in my past in the fashion industry, I have  worked closely with model and entertainment agencies. One aspect of the service I offer is portfolio production for models and entertainers. We have all seen the type of photos that models will put forward to promote their work but agencies, especially the big ones want to also see something presenting the model in their natural appearance so they may make a raw judgment. In the days before digital these photos would be often referred to as polaroids because photographers would use a polaroid camera to avoid the cost of film.

On this blog there is an earlier article about what type of portfolio a model should produce. The difference with “polaroids” is that they are not glamourized or contrived except to show the model’s features in a relative unmade up way.

In my connection with one of the top agencies in London I search out models with potential and here I have examples of some polaroid photos submitted already. The models are Julie Aston and Hayley McKay.

The setting is with two lights with large soft boxes, placed at 45⁰ either side of the model and with exposure evenly set to avoid any undue shadows. Posing must include front and profile shots of head and shoulders, half-length and full length. Make up was applied very lightly in a fairly neutral colour to match the skin.

If applying to an agency they will want to see your details, particularly age, height, body measurements, dress and shoe sizes, etc. Also your portfolio  (see a previous blog posting here) showing the range of work you have done or can do, and reference to any previous clients.

For any advice you may contact me via www.gscott-photography.co.uk

CREATING AN "OLD PHOTO"

There seems to be quite an interest in vintage styled photography at the moment but I have gone further and made it more of an antique look. In tend to apply this to some of my fashion work with the right era of clothing.

Just to complete the picture here is shown the original taken in camera, then with the post produced image and lastly with the old photo look applied.

I have used an image from a session shoot with one of my favourite models Ebony Silk Make-up was by Face Makeup Artistry

If any photographer would like to apply the old look I have an action so email me through my website here

Original

After Post Production

"Old Photo" Look Applied

MORE OF JASMINE SIRS - MODEL AND STAGE PERFORMER

Jasmine has been mentioned in a previous blog on our 1950s iconic screen star project where she has played a young Elizabeth Taylor.

Jasmine is still of school age but already she is a seasoned performer on the stage and in dance. Her parents admirably, actively manage her development with attention of course to not adversely interfering with her schooling. I have helped in this process and involved her as a model on fashion assignments and to build up a portfolio.

Jasmine has the physical features required as a fashion model in particular her catwalk requirement height but it is her stage experience that helps to create her versatility in front of the camera. I expect her to be a regular model for me.

She is still experimenting and exploring the entirety as a career option but, not least of all, the confidence she is gaining in modeling is already showing and should stand her in good stead when the choices around her future are made.

I would recommend Jasmine for fashion and advertorial photography. For more about Jasmine contact either me on 07967 729869 or Lynn Sirs on 07960 606802.

ICONIC SCREEN STARS OF THE 1950s

I think we have found the first of our models in a look-a-like project depicting 1950s iconic screen stars. In this case the depiction is of a young Elizabeth Taylor, later to become one of the biggest and most featured screen stars of all time. The model is a young Jasmine Sirs of whom we explain more in a separate blog on this site.

We are now looking for look-a-likes to depict Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe.

Grace Kelly

Marilyn Monroe

Audrey Hepburn

RAINBOW TRUST CHILDREN'S CHARITY

During the last month gscott-photography covered an event for the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity. The event was particular in that it was a tribute to parents who had gone through the loss of a child due to a terminal illness. The impression I left with was quite moving and in particular how it brings to you the meaning of the courage of parents – I was reminded of the saying that there is no greater pain than to outlive your child, when your child dies something dies in you.

Rainbow Trust Children's Charity provides expert social palliative care to families when their child has a life threatening or terminal illness. Offering emotional and practical support, assistance is available for families 24 hours a day. Individually tailored high quality care is offered from diagnosis through to treatment and, should a family become bereaved, the charity will continue to support them for as long as they are needed, helping family members cope with the present and preparing them for the future.

Rainbow Trust relies almost entirely on voluntary donations and through the outstanding generosity of its supporters is able to help over 1,300 families a year throughout England. However, this is just 12% of the families that could benefit from its help. The charity's vision is that one day all terminally ill children and their families will have access to a Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker.

Needless to say this was a very worthwhile event and I hope my contribution through the photographs will help in their work.

HOW TO RETOUCH EYES IN PHOTOSHOP (WITHOUT SHARPENING)

I am often asked how I emphasize eyes in my portraits. We are all taught that in a portrait the eyes are what draw the attention of the viewer. So how do we achieve this and still make it look natural. Well, the answer lies in the detail and the attention that needs to be given.

 

Some tutorials promote the use of sharpening which might be fine if properly done but if over done or set against over blurring of the face just makes everything look exaggerated. For me this is about the worst thing you can do.

In another blog I will deal with how I tackle skin smoothing and toning, which only must be done selectively, but for the time being here is my workflow for the eyes.

First, make sure you have a correctly exposed image in camera. I don’t use spot metering for this, but centre metering would be fine. And, of course, the lighting should be enough to get a good exposure with catchlights showing.

Loaded into Photoshop the process is as follows (note I have a number of actions set up to help speed it up and this is always advisable).

The whites of the eyes (which are in reality off-white, sometimes cream, with different shading across the area, and often with some veins showing.)

• Add a new layer on top of the image by going to Layer-New and calling it Eye Whites.
• Expand the image to 100% and examine for colour, shading and any veins or marks.
• Take the Clone Stamp Tool, set the brush mode to Lighten (clones out only parts darker than the sample area), the Hardness slider mid-way, and Opacity about 20%.
• To remove veins or other darker marks set the brush size to the width of the vein or mark, sample from alongside it and brush along the marks until gone. Any overly light marks do the same but with the brush mode set to Darken. Any dark cream areas or greatly contrasted areas repeat with the brush mode at Lighten sampling from adjacent areas but don’t overdo it because you must still show some variable shading across the whites of the eyes.

 The Irises (emphasizing colour and contrast)

• Add a second layer and call it Dodge and Burn Irises.
• Fill it with 50% Gray by going to Edit-Fill and in the Contents Use drop down box select 50% Gray. Set the mode of the layer to Soft Light.
• Expand image to 100%
• Take the Burn Tool, set the Range to midtones, the brush opacity to about 6% and medium soft hardness again, and gradually darken the outside rim of the iris and also just around the centre. Sometimes the lower half is darker than the upper half.
• Similarly, change to the Dodge Tool, and with the same settings as for the Burn Tool lighten the inner coloured part to bring out the colour of the eyes and give it a boost.
• If any of this is overdone then use the Eraser Tool at about 6% opacity and gradually reduce back.

 make the eyes gleam

• Expand image to 100%
• Take the Lasso Tool and select around the eye in full.
• Add a Curves Adjustment layer by going to the “create adjustment layer” symbol at the bottom of the Layers Panel (it is a half shaded circle) and click on curves in the list.
• Use the curve to raise the lightness of the eyes and lift the catchlights by giving a little contrast. Remember, the upper part of the curve adjusts the lighter contrast and the lower part of the curve the darker parts. Only small adjustments are needed because we don’t want the eyes to look like headlights. Start by lifting the middle of the Curves line up a little to give an overall gleam and then adjust in very small parts the lighter or darker parts.
• Click on the mask of the Curves Adjustment layer and with a hard brush set to Black at about 50% opacity go around the rims of the eyes to take off any overhang caused by the Curves adjustment.

 Eye Lashes

If the eyes have mascara applied or where there are long eye lashes:-

• Expand image to 100%
• Add a Dodge and Burn layer as when we did the irises by adding a layer filled with 50% Gray and set to Soft Light and using the Burn Tool with a brush setting of 6% opacity to darken around the rims to emphasize eye lashes and where mascara has been applied.

 Eye Shadows (highlight colouring and shading)

Over the eyelids where eye shadow may have been applied or just to give some shadow emphasis

• Expand image to 100%
• Add another Dodge and Burn Layer, again filled with 50% Gray and set to Soft light
• Take the Dodge and Burn Tools at an opacity of round 6% dodge and burn the area above the eyes and below the eye brows to emphasize shade and colouring.
• Further, by adding another layer and using the Brush Tool with a colour setting of your choice, at a low opacity setting and a soft brush apply colouring over the eye shadow area to add or even change colouring.
• Sometimes I might put a small amount of blur onto the layer to smooth things over by going to Filter-Blur-Gaussian Blur

 Eye Brows

If the eyebrows are untidy

• Expand the image to 100%
• Take the Clone Tool set the mode to Lighten, Hardness at around 75% and Opacity at 20% and sampling from the skin closest to the eyebrow tidy the edge and any stray bits.
• If there is any uneven thickness of the eyebrow or uneven colouring use the Clone Tool again switching between Lighten and Darken modes to thicken its appearance.

There may be other bits depending on the image such as if the rims of the eyelids show too much redness but this is the sort of detail, which I believe is necessary if you want to bring out the strength of the eyes and engage with the viewer.

Please follow this blog for more of my workflow.