Leave it to a grandmother to find a way to put your life into perspective. I had always collected antique tintypes and old photographic prints but it wasn't until my grandmother handed me a stack of photos of my own family that the importance of what I do for a living really sank in. What I do is just as much about time as it is about art and as I sat and looked at these photos, some 100 or more years old, I started asking myself questions about how present day portrait photographers handle their business, how they treat their clients and where their priorities lie.

Doing what you love is not easy, not that anyone said it would be. If you are one of the few artists of any discipline that are crazy enough to express yourself full time, then you understand. If you are crazy enough to want to make your own schedule and motivate yourself, you understand. If you have a passion about something that is so strong it will guide you towards it no matter the boundaries... you understand. I wanted to share some of my recent thoughts and a few new images with you. Setting up a new business seems to polarize problems within an industry. The photographic industry has had its share of problems for the last ten or so years and education is the only way to try to curb those things.

I often get asked if I use Photoshop filters or actions during the post-production of my work. The broad answer is yes and no. The detailed answer is that there are no actions or filters used in the retouching process but there are some things that are done to all images after the initial image editing is done and I am giving the images a look. Unfortunately I have not found a magic button that will finish my images to the level I would want. For this reason retouching is a time consuming part of my job.

I wanted to share a little bit of the content from my WPPI Master Class next weekend about practical lighting and what drives the decision making process when we select gear for a job. This information is all from my book so if you want more details please check it out. Often I have found that during photographic workshops presenters talk about lighting scenarios based on optimum situations. In a perfect world we would have no limitations placed upon or creative endeavors but that is very rarely the way it works. To call yourself a photographer, however, means that it is your responsibility to make "it" work no matter what "it" is.

Sometimes that what it feels like were doing. A lot of editorial assignments can be quick at best. There are plenty of times when a photo editor wants to see multiple looks from a shoot however time is limited because of the subjects schedule or because the location can only be held for a short period of time. Whatever the case being able to not only be extremely portable but also be prepared for differing lighting conditions is a must. In most cases these two things do not go together. Frequently to be prepared means having more gear than you will probably need and being mobile means only having the bare minimum. This is where knowing how to get the most out of your equipment is important.

Often times business portraits mean shooting in small conference rooms in an office building, inside of a factory or even on set during a film production. Because of this I always try to pack light expecting the worst but luckily it is easy to get great results with minimal equipment. In this article I want to break down how I work through these location portrait sessions. My go to set-up is one key light, a reflector for a bit of fill, background light and seamless paper (on occasion I will add a third light for a hair light or a rim light but not in this example).

If a tree falls in the forest and no photographer is there to capture it, does it make the cover of Vogue? Nope. So how many potential magazine covers have you missed? How many shots do you have in your portfolio that were near misses? How many fleeting moments that had you not been prepared, would have slipped away?

When you have the right model and want some punch don’t over think it and overwork the set. In my opinion the best light is usually the most unmodified. That is one of the reasons I love using the beauty dish so much, whether it is for beauty or editorial work the rawness of the light it was makes it unique. But sometimes even a beauty dish is too much.

Using strobes to create striking images outdoors is easy when you have the time and resources. Unfortunately some sessions won’t allow time to use studio style lighting on location, but when the possibility is there, I love to break out the big lights, balance with the sun, and make some poppy images for my clients.

Now you guys know I don’t like to get overly “techie” when it comes to gear, but this month I wanted to talk about something that is for the most part ignored. Our lenses.

No matter what the niche of photography, lighting and how to measure and capture it is the most important aspect for a photographer to understand, however, being able to control and anticipate its effects is equally as important. One of the best ways to anticipate and view the effects of light is by paying attention to the light present in your everyday surroundings.

Thanks for tuning in to read the first PPR articles of 2010. It is going to be an exciting new year here on the site. I took a month off while I wrapped up my instructional lighting book that will be available through Amherst Media in the spring of this year.