Family and Private Portraits

Last year I was hired to photograph 75 actors, artist and directors in China. The assignment was an awesome experience for me and my entire crew, but it also opened up a new door into creating private portraits for families, business executive and more. 

Last week I photographed one of the top conductors in the world, Jahja Ling along with his lovely wife, at their home in San Diego. Over the years I have discovered that I love walking into an environment where I have no idea what the location or home will look like and I have to find and create an interesting photograph. This can be a challenge in some cases but with creative lighting you can make any place look amazing. Luckily, the Ling house was an incredible home with a lot of great places to shoot.

If you would like to learn more about how to advance your own photography, or just want to become a better photographer, sign up for my one-on-one classes online. You can learn from the comfort of your personal computer each week via Skype. If you would like to have your personal portrait made or your family portrait made, feel free to contact me via my email to book an appointment at mjs@matthewjordansmith.com

SIGN UP TODAY: One on One with Matthew Jordan Smith

Always Dream Big

COMPOSITION AND LIGHTING EXERCISE

During the course of my 28-year photo career I’ve learned a lot from simply watching great movies, but watching great movies alone isn’t enough. You have to practice once you’ve been exposed to new information. We all love watching movies, and today I’d like to share an exercise you can do after watching a classic movie to become a better photographer.

I shoot fashion/beauty and commercial portraits but regardless of the type of photography you enjoy shooting, this exercise will help you to become a better photographer. The goal of the exercise is to help you see and understand light and composition, but you’ll also learn how these two elements work hand in hand to create powerful images.

This year is the 50th anniversary of a great classic movie that I hope many of you have seen at some point in your life. This classic film is also the perfect teaching tool for photographers. For this exercise I’d like you to watch the first hour of "The Sound of Music", but with the sound muted so can you focus only on the visual elements of the film. 

The movie opens by using powerful landscapes and cityscapes, and as photographers we too can use supporting elements when taking portraits, weddings, or fashion and beauty pictures to make our feature images more powerful. 

After the opening series of images you’ll see the nuns start to walk into the Abbey. The shot is taken from above. Take nothing for granted as you look at this scenes composition.  Now practice taking your next photograph from different angles; maybe one from a high angle over your subject and another version taken from a low angle. When you have a mix of different points of view in your photographs your photos become more interesting and it gives your body of work a stronger statement. In the same notice the placement of the nuns’ with white hoods and where they are in relationship to the black hoods. Nothing is an accident in this image as it is all directed to be visually appealing. 

The next scene deals with light and shadow, or the absence of light. As the nuns walk into the Abbey they are walking directly towards the camera. At the end of this cut, two nuns walk right into the camera, (or it appears so.) The next cut the scenes switches to a darker shot showing the nuns’ from the back as they are now inside and taking their seats. The transition from light to backlight is a powerful tool to use in still photography. Try shooting your next images using front light and then letting your subjects become silhouettes using backlight. Once you master using this you will enjoy photography even more as you make more powerful images.

Feel free to post your comments on Twitter using the hash tag #Soundofmusic and follow  me at @Matthew_JordanS  

A Unique Opportunity: Go beyond this exercise and join me in the Bahamas this May for the Fstoppers Photo Workshop as we turn this exercise into an incredible fashion story. Part 1 and part II of the Matthew Jordan Smith Fashion Photography Workshop will show you how to turn a classic film into a one-of-a-kind fashion story.

In part 1, you will learn how to plan, produce and create a fashion story. These principles will help you in every field of photography, from portraits to weddings and more. Part 1 of the workshop is focused on shooting a beautiful model in studio and you will learn how to use studio lights to make powerful graphic images based on the workshop theme. You’ll learn how to use constant lights and strobe lights. You’ll learn how to use a light meter and how to direct your models to get the best images possible. In part two, we will focus on working on location. You will take our model outside to shoot the location elements for your story and you’ll learn how to work on location with lights, an amazing model and a crew. By the end of this incredible workshop you will have a fantastic fashion story and become more confident in making more powerful photographs. Sign up soon as seats are limited.    

Exhausted Battery

Have you ever tried to get more power out of an exhausted battery? Doesn’t really work out that well, does it?

Last year, I was that exhausted battery and trying to work harder to be more productive. Every part of my life was draining me. In fact, it seemed like everything went wrong at the same time, from my personal life to business, there were no exceptions. I needed to just unplug and recharge my battery.

At the end of the year I went to Japan to visit an old friend of 16 years. Then went on to Thailand and Hawaii. What I discovered was nothing helps like putting yourself into the middle of a fresh perspective. When I returned from my travels I felt alive again, and more creative and inspired to do my best work and have my very best life. Now I’m creating new and exciting images again and the calls are starting to come in as well.

From the Tyra Banks Cosmetic Line Shoot. Photograph by Matthew Jordan Smith

This May there’s an opportunity to recharge your battery and learn how to become a better photographer in my Fstoppers Photo Workshop in the Bahamas. I’ll be teaching two workshops on Fashion Photography: one in studio and the other on location in and around the beautiful island of the Bahamas. Both will help you in countless ways. I’m bringing one of my favorite models down along with great hair and makeup support.  I’ll be sharing much of what you need to learn in order to shoot incredible images to become a great fashion photographer. Join me at the Atlantic Resort in the beautiful island of the Bahamas and learn to make great images while getting away to recharge your soul. 

What You’ll Learn

How to work with strobe lights in studio and on location.

How to plan, produce and photograph a fashion story.

How to direct a model for creating a fashion story.

How to direct a crew to get the best images you’ve ever imagined.

You’ll get to shoot and leave with powerful images.

You’ll learn a lot of the tricks of the trade, not only shooting a fashion story, but how to put the images together to have a powerful body of work. (This is more important than you could ever imagine.)

You’ll learn one of the most powerful tools to shooting and landing big commercial assignments as a fashion photographer.  

You'll have fun working with a great team of talented people in a beautiful location.

Workshop 1: Studio Fashion Photography 

Workshop 2: On Location Fashion Photography 

Looking forward to seeing you in the Bahamas!

Secrets For A Great Photo Shoot

Years ago I was asked by an up-and-coming photographer,  "what's the key to landing big jobs?" The answer to that question is production, high production value. One of the elements that adds to a great production is having great food on the set. When possible, I like to hire a chef.

Have great food and always dream big.

The Long Road to Completion

Starting a project is easy. The hard part is going through the ups and downs, taking 

it to completion.

I once had a friend who started something new every six to eight 

months, but never finished.  She always started out with the best intentions, but as 

soon as things got hard, she’d give up and try something else. 

I think that happens a lot, because I’ve seen it over and over throughout my life. I 

too, have struggled with sticking with projects when they get hard, but I’ve learned 

that the trials are part of the journey.  Now, I welcome them with open arms. It’s the 

universe testing us to see how badly we want something.

Three years ago I started a journey that would take me through more ups and 

downs than anything I’ve done in my life. I had an idea that was born in 2007, but I 

stopped when it became hard. I picked it up again in 2012 and said this time I was 

going to finish it, no matter what. I felt it was my duty, my obligation in fact, to bring 

this project to life. 

The project would require me to travel to every state in America and photograph 

children from 100 families. It was a humungous project to take on, but I saw it 

clearly in my head. 

Today, President’s Day, is the launch day of this project. I am happy to say it is 

complete and now available online and in Barnes and Noble stores all across 

America.   

Welcome to Future American President: 50 States-100 Families – Infinite Dreams.

First Sighting

There is nothing like seeing a project come to life after years of hard work.  

Barnes & Noble - Los Angeles, Ca

Sumo Village_Tokyo

Thanksgiving week is normally a time when we get to unplug from work and enjoy eating all the traditional holiday food. This year, however, I spent Thanksgiving week in Tokyo, Japan and enjoyed my favorite Japanese food.

I have always wanted to explore the area of Tokyo known for its sumo wrestling community, so I took the subway to Ryogoku eki. The moment I walked out of the subway station I knew I was in the right spot as sumo images and statues were everywhere. 

A Day with Oprah

In 1995 I photographed Oprah for the very first time. It was my third celebrity cover and a very important cover shoot for my client, Essence magazine. During the start of the photo shoot her beautiful brown cocker spaniel puppies were on the set.  She  just received the pup's as a gift from Stedman and was excited to have them around her. I took one polaroid of her with the puppies and then they were taken away. The shoot went amazingly well and I love those images to this day.

A few days after the photo shoot I was looking over some of the polaroids and feel in love with the one of Oprah and her puppies. I decided to frame it and send it to her. I went shopping in New York's Soho district to search for the perfect frame, then framed the polaroid and sent it off. I guess I hoped I would  receive a reply, because I thought it was an incredible image, but I never heard a word and wondered it she even received the image. 

Fast forward to 2012, and hundreds of covers later, I find myself photographing Oprah again for another magazine cover. She walks in and come to me and gives me a big hug! Over the years we've worked together from time-to-time, but I have never received such a strong hug from her before. After hugging me, she looked at me and said, "years ago, you sent a picture after one of our shoots. The polaroid was of me with my dogs when they were puppies and that polaroid has been beside my bed ever since. Last week one of my babies past away so now that polaroid is more precious than ever. Thank you!"

The beauty of photography is that each image become more precious as time goes by. The images you take today may seem like nothing special, but tomorrow they will be more precious than gold.

To learn how to photograph subjects better sign up for my one-on-one classes or learn from the individual download videos to improve your photography. All products are available at PhotographyHelpStore.

Oprah by Matthew Jordan Smith Copyright Matthew Jordan Smith © All Rights Reserved 

Teaching the Art of Lighting

This week I was in Seattle, Washington to give a lighting seminar at Glazers camera store. The event was sponsored by my friends at Profoto. It was a packed house and I was excited to speak about my lighting techniques and share stories from different shoots. 

After speaking I shot a beautiful model in front of the audience in the same manner I shoot many of my assignments. I shot using the Sony A7 camera with the 85mm lens, which in my estimation, is the perfect portrait lens.  I used Capture One Pro tethered with my Sony camera so the audience could see each image as I shot. For lighting, I used a Profoto beauty dish and Pro 8 strobe pack to capture each moment the instant it happened. Speed is extremely important to me when I'm shooting because special moments only happen a few times during a photo shoot.  I want to make sure I capture those moments and the Profoto Pro 8 packs are super fast.

To learn more about my lighting techniques log in to Photography Help Store. There you will find my video's that are aimed to educate photographers on the art of lighting, shooting fashion and beauty and much more. You can also sign up for my one-on-one photography classes to take your photo career to the next level. The one-on-one classes take place once a week via Skype and will improve your photography and help boost your bottom line. 

Always Dream Big

CD Cover Shoot

This month I have two CD cover's out and both were shot using the Sony A7R camera with the 85mm and 100 macro lenses.

Tomorrow, I head to Seattle, WA to speak at Glazer's Camera about lighting and give a live demonstration using Profoto strobes, Sony camera's and Capture One Pro.

If you'd like to learn more about photography and how I create my images go to Photography Help Store where you can sign up for one-on-one classes or download instructional video's on how to become a better photographer.

Simple Beauty

Sometimes the most beautiful images are the ones without a lot of extra elements. This week I was traveling to and from the east coast for a meeting and used the time on the plane to edit a shoot. I have a new program that lets me edit faster and easier, (and by edit I mean make selections, not retouch.) The program is called Mylio and I love it because it gives me my time back. Before Mylio I would download my images on my main computer and have to sit there and do edits as time flew by. Now, with Mylio I can edit anywhere because my images go to all my devices from just uploading once to my main computer. It's the most amazing program I've ever seen.

I pulled out my ipad and started to make selections faster than I've ever made before. By the time I arrived in Washington, DC from Los Angeles, I'd made new selections from several shoots. Now I can update my website with fresh new images and make better use of my time on airplanes.

This image was made using two Profoto strobes, art paper from a local art store and my Sony a99 camera with the 85mm and 100 macro lens. Image selection was done on the plane using Mylio, which by the way puts the fun back into editing.

Aretha Franklin's New CD

One of the things I love the most about working with Aretha Franklin is how blunt she is. When I lived in New York City this was very common, but on the west coast people seem to have a fear of saying how they feel. 

When I first showed Ms. Franklin the images she said she wasn't happy with them, but I know if she is in a bad mood it can affect everything. I pulled my favorite images and show her only the best and told her I felt we've never gotten so many great images. It was the first time I've worked with her where she actually danced as we shot. She called me back and said "Jordan, I love these images!"

I still think the best images will live in my site from the shoot, but I'm happy with the way the CD came out. Catch Aretha Today as she performs live on the Today Show.

Who's Your Favorite?

People often ask me, "who's your favorite subject?" It's always a hard question because I have photographed so many great people over the years. When I think of my favorite subjects, my mind usually goes to the most recent shoot, but I also think about the people whom I have photographed a zillion times, like Tyra, Vanessa Williams or even my favorite model muse, Kris.

Finding your favorite subjects means making a great first impression, and my very first shoot with Vanessa Williams made a strong impression on me. Since the mid 90's Vanessa and I have worked together numerous times. Each time I work with Vanessa we get great images. I am looking forward to our next encounter very soon.

Always Dream Big!

Cover Up!

One of the best feelings a photographer can have is experiencing your images on the cover of a magazine. The feeling never gets old. After decades of magazine covers I still get that "wondering feeling" each time I see my work on the cover of a magazine, or on the side of a building or passing bus. 

Today,  a bus pulled up beside me as I drove through Hollywood, and on the side was my recent image of Queen Latifah for the Queen Latifah show. I smiled as I looked at the image and wish my parents were in the car with me at that moment.

Hollywood Power Brokers

For  years I only received calls to photograph women, then a client took a chance on me and I started photographing men.  Today, most of my assignments are still with women, but I have a good mix of jobs with men as well.

My shoot with power broker, Charles King was a great assignment and I am thankful I had the opportunity to create his images.

Photographed in Los Angeles with the Sony A7R camera.

The Richest Man in the World

I started my career with the intention of shooting fashion and beauty, but like one of my favorite books shows, The Alchemist, life often takes its own unique twists and turns.

During the last two years I have received a sudden increase in requests to photograph executives in the business world, like Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world. This week I photographed another corporate CEO, and we had a ball working on creating his image.  This shoot started out just like the Carlos Slim shoot but ended with us both laughing and getting more intimate images. When you enjoy what you do for a living people feel comfortable opening up and being themselves.

Shot what you love and have a great weekend. 

Photographed in Los Angeles with the Sony a99 camera.

From China to Japan

China has been very good to my photo career in the last year. I have traveled there to shoot 3 times in the last year, and a forth time this year for an exhibit at the Temple of Heaven.  It now looks like I'll be doing the same type of photo shoots, and more often, in Tokyo, Japan.  I have always loved Japan and all things Japanese, so I am looking forward to what the future has in store.

Music Day

This morning I got a call from Aretha Franklin to start my day. I love when she calls! It's always early in the morning and she's the only person in the world who calls me "Jordan."

Aretha is currently in the studio putting the final touches on her latest CD. We shot the images a few months ago and we had a ball. She's called me a few times to tell me how much she loves them and that makes me happy. 

I also received my newest CD cover today as well. I few months ago I shot the music package for a Japanese artist. During the shoot we played her music and she sang along. It reminded me of working with Aretha because she also loves to play her music when we shoot together.

Photographed with the Sony A7R camera using an 85mm Carl Zeiss lens.

Behind Closed Doors

I had a great time photographing Beverly Hills Housewife, Adrienne Maloof last week. I used the #Sony A7R and A7 for the shoot, because these camera's make it easy to capture great images. I love being able to have an instant preview every time I press the shutter and see that everything is perfect in the moment of shooting. The best part of shooting with these camera's is seen after my shoot is over. The image quality is just insane!

Someone asked me recently why I shoot with Sony. Well, these camera's put the fun back into photography again for me and that is why I love them so much. When you shoot all day the way I do, you want a camera that doesn't weigh you down and tire you out. These camera's are light-weight and compact and I love that. This year alone I've taken them all over Asia and the North Pole and they have never let me down. 

This week Sony announced an entire new lineup of lenses which will only enhance the excitement of working with these incredible camera's. Check out my brother's link below.

http://briansmith.com/just-announced-sony-fe-16-35-f4-lens-hvl-f32m-flash/

Night Photography and the Sony A7R

In the 90's  I shot a swimsuit calendar for Tyra Banks. We shot all over the island of Jamaica and were often up at 4:00am to start hair and makeup. Back then, to shoot at night or  early morning before the sun came up was difficult. I remember having my assistants carrying all types of photo gear and lighting gear to create the types of images I wanted.

Today photography has come a long way, and thanks to the Sony A7R camera, photography is much easier than it was in the past. No more lugging heavy cases of photo gear to create photographs with high production value. Now this lightweight camera has opened up opportunities for me to create great images in a much easier manner.

The other night I wanted to try shooting on the beach at night. I brought minimal gear, just my Sony A7R with two lenses, the 24-70mm lens and a 55mm lens. I also took along a Profoto B1 strobe and a small stand, and a handheld light meter. Everything fit into one lightweight backpack, so instead of having an army of photo assistants, cases of gear and heavy lights and strobe packs, I could easily shoot by myself and create stunning images.

I love shooting in this manner and I love how photography has become easier today. You still need knowledge to create powerful photographs but technology has opened the door so we can create images in a much easier way. I wonder what Sony will come up with next?

Always Dream Big!