You Are Not Alone – The California Story

Have you ever felt like you were the only person in the world going through a difficult time? Just the feeling of thinking you are the only one dealing with your problem can make it harder to deal with.

During the making of Future American President, it was important to find children with disabilities, but finding children on the road would be challenging. I know a family in California with a disabled child and asked if I could include their daughter in the book. I didn’t want her to be the only child in the book with a disability so I sought to find others.

I shared my vision of including other children with disabilities with friends, and a buddy told me he knew a woman whose child suffered from a disability, but he wasn’t sure about the specifics of her condition. I asked if I could speak with the mother and my friend made the introduction. The first time I spoke on the phone with the mother she was curious about the project and told me she would like for me to meet her daughter first. We made an appointment and a week later I was knocking on their front door.

I was greeted at the door by the child’s grandmother, who welcomed me into their home and spoke at length about my project. Twenty minutes later I was introduced to the mother and learned more about her daughter. As she shared information she explained that her daughter has been in a wheelchair all her life. The more she spoke the more my interest grew in meeting and speaking with her ten-year-old daughter. After about 45 minutes, I still had no idea about her daughter’s particular disability, and then, she told me.

When the mother first mentioned her daughter’s disability I couldn’t believe my ears, but then she shared something that really threw me. She said her daughter feels like she is the only child in the world dealing with her disability. In that moment, I knew God had led me to meet this little girl.

Her daughter has Spina Bifida, a birth defect that affects the spine and is preventable by taking folic acid before and during the first three months of pregnancy. I was shocked to learn of  her daughter’s disability because the first child I photographed with a disability also has Spina Bifida.

Now it was time to meet her daughter. The first moment we met I loved her energy and zest for life. She talked with me for a while and seemed wise beyond her years. She was beautiful, intelligent and strong willed, the perfect combination of qualities necessary to become a future leader. As we spoke, she told me she feels like she is the only child suffering from Spina Bifida, even though she knew there were others somewhere. I told her I knew of another little girl with Spina Bifida and that she too, is included in the book. She was surprised, so I asked her if she’d like to meet the other little girl. She said yes, and I promised I would speak with the other child’s parents and see what I could arrange. Before I left, I shared the story about one past American president who lead the country from his wheelchair, and explained to her that she could do anything in her life if she just believed it was possible. We set up a date to do the photo shoot and I called the other parents as soon as I left to see if they were available to meet my newfound friend.

On the day of the photo shoot the other parents met me at the shoot location with their daughter and both girls had a chance to meet, and I photographed them together to remember the moment. The connection for everyone involved was wonderful because the first parents have a foundation that helps children suffering from Spina Bifida and were able to give useful information to my latest subjects mother.

I left this photo shoot feeling intense emotions because my new friend now knows she isn’t suffering by herself. What I didn’t know is that my journey would lead me to meet another child in Tennessee months later who also has Spina Bifida, but even that wouldn’t be the last child with a disability included in the book.

Always Dream Big

Lighting On Location In Miami

I have shot a zillion times in Miami during the course of my photography career, but never during the summer months. This week I was in Miami for a shoot on the beach and I now know why I've never been to Miami in the summer months. It's HOT!

To combat the heat, we started our day early to try and avoid the hottest part of the day. I scouted the location for the shoot the day before and felt good about it. Miami beaches are crowded during the summer so it took a lot of searching to find a location that was less popular and offered everything I wanted. My assistants who were local to Miami had never been to the location and were surprised to see it.

Having control of the light while working on location calls for planning ahead. Before leaving Los Angeles, I spoke with my assistants and went over the equipment list together. I planned to use the Profoto B1 strobe heads with a white beauty dish as my main source of light, but I also needed to block out the natural sun and protect my Nikon camera lens from any flare. We completed our equipment list and then made sure to include backup gear just in case.

When shooting in humid conditions you need to be aware of condensation on your lenses. I normally try and wrap my lenses in towels the night before and place them in the warmest part of my hotel room, which is usually the closet. This time I knew we had time for the lenses to adapt to the environment while my talent was in hair and makeup. The first thing my assistants did was to open the camera case to let my Nikon camera's adjust to the extreme humidity. We pulled the lens caps off and let them breath for about 20 to 30 minutes as we set up the lights for the first shot.

Throughout the morning, we moved from location to location, but before I started shooting, my crew and I walked around and I showed them where I wanted to shoot each image. This gave them time to think and prepare for each shot before I started shooting. 

Whenever I'm shooting on location I try to have black flags on hand to block my camera lens from flare. My assistants make sure as I move around that the flag moves with me to block any sun from coming into the lens. 

I'm looking forward to the next location shoot this month and sharing images from the trip. Until then, have a great week and keep shooting.

Always Dream Big

Faster Than A Speeding...

I have always felt a photographer's work should be a reflection of their life, and these days I start my day in the gym. A good friend has always told me, health first, then family, then money. Without your health, you can't help your family and no amount of money will help you when your health is gone.

As I created Future American President, I packed on the pounds eating in the car and at inexpensive locations around America. Now I'm dedicated to changing my life and getting healthy one day at a time to lose the weight and improve my overall health.

I am starting to work on a series of images related to health and fitness. For the location images I am using the Profoto B1 strobes, which are just incredible for working on location. They are light and powerful and perfect for the photographer on the go. I wish I had the Profoto B1 strobes while I was creating Future American President, as they would have made my life so much easier.

These images are shot using the Nikon 810 and the Profoto Bi strobes. A great combination for creating powerful images.

Have a great 4th of July holiday weekend and be safe!

Always Dream Big

Throwback Thursday_Photographing Iman

In my early days in New York City, there was one model who reigned supreme before the "super models" came on the scene, and her name was IMAN!

My first time working with Iman was exciting because she radiated an energy like no one I'd ever met, and she still does to this day. Iman has always carried herself like royalty, and in many ways she is, especially in the fashion world. Before Naomi and Tyra, there was Iman.

Over the years, I worked with Iman several times and had the opportunity to collaborate with her on her cosmetic line.. Sometimes we'd speak on the phone and the way the conversation started was always memorable. The phone would ring and as I answered it, she would simply say, "Iman"!

Early in my career I loved using elements in front of my camera lens to distort the image in some way. Whenever I see this effect today I can't help but smile because it take me back to my early days as a photographer. To do this well it's better having the camera on a tripod, which is not my favorite way to shoot these days, but the images are arresting. Today more than ever photographers need to have an individual identiy to stand out, but the secret is to really just do what you enjoy the most and only show that work. The work you enjoy doing the most is your true photographic identity.

Always Dream Big

Massachusetts, Harvard and Future Presidents

The first two images below are outtakes from my shoot in Boston for Future American President. The day I photographed these images it was brutally hot, but my subject was cool and composed. I'd just come back from Beijing and after recovering from my jet lag, I set out to continue working on the book in the New England states.

Throughout the making of the book I wanted to find children who spoke in other languages, and thanks to the  Boys and Girls Clubs of America, I was able to find a subject who spoke Mandarin that was born in the United States.

Photographed at F 22.0 @ 1/125th

To light the image, I  took a reading of the sunlight on my subject using a handheld light meter. The exposure read F16.0 at 1/125th. The lighting was harsh and not exactly the most flattering of conditions for a great photograph. To get the picture I wanted I needed to overpower the sun, so I set my strobe light to read F22.0 at 1/125th. One stop more than the sunlight reading. This allowed me to create an image with flattering light on my subject, and to have a better background. By shooting with strobe lights I was albe to drop my background exposure down to get richer colors in the image. If I were to increase my shutter speed from 1/125 to say 1/200th,  I would get more dramatic colors in my backgrounds.

An example of shooting at a faster shutter speed can be seen in the image below. Both images are shot in almost the same conditions. One image was shot in Utah and the other in Boston, Mass. but the conditions were the same. Both were photographed during the harsh sunlight hours and gave the same natural light exposure reading. In both images, I overpowered the sun by shooting at F22.0. The only difference is that the shutter speed in the image below was set to 1/200th vs 1/125. Notice how the sky appears to be a richer hue of blue. There are many advantages to shooting with strobe lights on location, and when working on a big project, like a book for example, you want to have a consistent feel throughout all of the images.

Photographed at F22.0 at 1/1200th of a second

Good luck and have fun shooting this week.

Always Dream Big

Miami Beach

I have always loved creating images on the beach. Something about the sand and sea just brings out the best in a person. Maybe it's the soothing sound of the ocean in the background or maybe it's the feeling of the sun on your skin, but images on the beach always look good.

As this week comes to a close, I'm prepping to head to Miami beach for another photo shoot. I've been shooting in Miami since the early 90's but this is my first shoot in Miami since I shot for Future American President there.  I hope to see old friends while I'm there and hopefully make some new friends as well. 

While I'm there I will try and shoot behind the scenes images to share my lighitng setup on location. The average person would never believe the amount of equipment we need to make a great picture.

Have a great weekend and always dream big.

Future World Photo Tips

Have you ever watched a child look at a photograph of themselves? We've all witnessed people looking at the back of a camera or admiring a selfie after their photo has been taken, but for a child this is a deeper moment. When children look at their pictures, they are shaping how they see themselves. This is why it's important for children to see positive images of themselves and their peers. There used to be an old commercial for Sprite that said, "Image is everything," but really, self-image is everything.

I met a second family in historic Gettysburg while traveling in Pennsylvania for Future American President and asked them to be a part of the book project. As I photographed the children the younger daughter wanted to see her pictures from the back of my camera. She was too young to really understand what has going on and why this stranger was photographing her, but she knew her image was inside the black box I held in my hands, and she was excited to see them.

 This week, take the time to photograph a child that's close to you. Maybe it's your own children getting ready to enjoy summer vacation, or maybe it's a sibling, niece or nephew. As you photograph them, step back and take a moment to let them be themselves. Make these images your wide view. Your wide view photographs will show not only your subject, but all the elements around them. That modern day car or smartphone will be old relic's fifty years from now and add context to your images. Next, move in and capture the essence of your subjects. This is your mid-range shot that makes them the focus of your image, not just a part of the image like in your wide shot. Lastly, move in close and take pictures of just their face. Big faces of kids are adorable and young children usually have a lot of fun taking pictures with the camera very close to their face. Above all have fun and remember the powerful effect a great image can have on a child.

Always Dream Big

Photographed for Future American President

American Vogue Shoot

Photographing Veronica Webb has always been fun, but to shoot her for American Vogue was something I will never forget. When I received the assignment to capture Veronica's portrait I thought long and hard about how I wanted to light her. The assignment was a portrait job and in true Vogue fashion I wanted to keep it simple and timeless.

Veronica Webb Photographed for American Vogue

A simple white or grey backdrop always works well for portraits in terms of making them timeless. For the lighting, I used a Profoto bi-tube head with an Octabank umbrella. The only other gear on set was two wind machines. One wind machine was on the ground and coming from behind, and the other was used by the hairstylist, Oscar James, as he saw fit. 

Veronica Webb photographed for American Vogue

When using a wind machine (or fan) make sure you don't have it coming from the front. A direct fan on your subject will dry out your subjects eyes and cause their eyes to tear. For this reason having a fan coming from behind is best. You don't need a strong wind machine to give the feeling of movement in hair, just a light breeze. Have fun!

Always Dream Big

How To Master Strobe Lighting

Taking consistently beautiful photographs in studio is a skill and not to be taken lightly. I recently read a photography forum where someone said they watched a shoot during a seminar and then set their camera up with the same settings but still couldn’t get the same results. He went on to say he had the same camera and the same lens, but his images just didn’t have the same look. He ended by asking what was he doing wrong.

I hear conversations like this often since the world turned to digital photography. Photography is much easier now (and the learning curve is not as steep) but you still need to master the craft in every way. This means you must learn about lighting, composition and all the other elements that make a great photograph. If you want to work as a professional photographer it’s not enough to say, “I only work with natural light.” You can only get away with that for so long.

Learning how to use strobe lighting takes time and effort. It’s not always fun doing the necessary light tests needed to master light, but once you put the time and effort into it you’ll be rewarded with consistently beautiful images in studio and on location.

This week I wanted to try a light modifier that I’ve never used before. I’ve used a similar modifier for years, but I know each light has its own distinct look. Before I can use it on a job I need to test it out and see how it looks.

Milk Studios, the top studio in Hollywood, was gracious enough to let my assistant and I come in and take the light for a test drive. They showed us how to properly set the light up and how to use it with my preferred strobe system, Profoto strobes. As we conduced the light test we did a live broadcast on Periscope.

Light modifiers: Briese Focus 220 and Focus 77 with Profoto strobe system

Camera: Nikon D4s with 85mm lens

Results below

Bare Head with the 220 focus tube shot flood, half way and spot.

220 focus tube with 1/3 net and focus tube shot flood, half way and spot.

220 focus tube with full net and focus tube shot flood, half way and spot.

Briese Focus 77 with Profoto strobe system

Bare head Focus 77 with focus tube shot flood, half way and spot. 

Focus 77 with 1/3 silk shot at flood, half way and spot.

Focus 77 with full silk shot at flood, half way and spot.

This test was helpful in many ways and much easier than in the film days. With film, if you made a mistake it was a pain to correct. If you make a mistake with digital you just erase one image.

It's important to keep track on what you're doing with every step of the lighting test. You can do as many variations as you'd like, for example you can change the distance from the light to the subject and do exactly the same series of tests you see here. It's totally up to you how extensive you'd like to be. If you notice we didn't fill in the height on this test, as I didn't think it was necessary for this particular light test. If we were testing a beauty dish out however, the height would be a factor.

To learn more about lighting check out the following video tutorials:

 Ten Ways To Use One Light Source

How To Work With Complex Lighting Situations

Always dream big...and test your lights.

Memorial Day Traval

Two years ago, on Memorial Day, I was traveling from state to state, working on a book project entitled Future American President. As I drove toward Indianapolis, Indiana I spotted what appeared to be a large group having a holiday barbeque. From the highway I could see tons of cars outside the home and a big green and white tent. For the Future American President project, I approached strangers all over America and asked them if I could photograph their children. As you can imagine, it was a bit scary doing this.

When I first saw the house from the highway I envisioned a large family having a great time together enjoying the holiday. I thought an image of a family spending time together in this way would be powerful and that families all over America would be able to relate to such an image. Something inside me said, go and knock on the door and introduce myself…Then my internal fight started. Part of me wanted to knock on the door and tell them about my project, but then part of me didn’t want to intrude. What if they wanted to be left alone? What if they thought I was some crazy lunatic? Also, lets face it, what if they were scared, (or hated) Black people? This was the internal fight that went on in my head as I drove down the highway. Two miles later, I thought about the words, “you have not, because you ask not.” I turned the car around and drove back to the house.

I truly believe God protects me throughout my travels wherever I go, so I can never really be fearful. The fear is always in your head. As I pulled up to the driveway, my heart was beating a million miles a minuet. It seemed no matter how many times I approached strangers and told them about my project, it didn’t get any easier. I knocked on the door and was greeted by a smiling face who asked, “can I help you?” I introduced myself and started talking about how I saw the family gathering and told her what I was doing. She said, “well it sounds like a great thing you’re doing but you’d have to ask the owners of the house.” Then she invited me in and took me out back where I saw about 30 people having a great time. I was introduced to the couple hosting the gathering and told them about my project and why I decided to stop at their home on Memorial Day. I showed them images on my ipad of other families I’d photographed around the country and they loved the project. Then they said, “well, who would you want to photography because there are a lot of kids here?” I said, how about the youngest child here? The next thing I knew I was being introduced to a young mother with a 7 week-old baby.

Future American President

Last week, my minister at One Church spoke about audacious living, and defined it as “showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.” He said, “you will never be as great as you can be without taking risks. Creating Future American President is a series of bold risks but I believe in the message of this project. I believe this book has the potential to make a profound impact on children everywhere by seeing themselves in ways they wouldn’t have imagined otherwise.

I want to have a stronger impact on children with this project. What if I could include every child in America in the book? Well, my team and I have figured out how to do just that. Very soon every family in the world will have the ability to put their child’s face on the COVER of the FUTURE AMERICAN PRESIDENT book with a special edition version of the book. Imagine your child growing up with their face on the cover of a book that is dedicated to inspiring children to dream big.

Photography notes:

To photograph this image I used Profoto strobe lights to overpower the sun. This image was shot during the middle of the day, when the sun is the most intense. I shot one stop over the daylight reading. The sunlight was reading on F 16.0 @ 1/125th, so i used my Sekonic light meter and adjusted the strobe to read F22.0, which is one stop over the sunlight reading and makes for an image that is dramatic and solves the problem of bad light from midday sun.

Always Dream Big

Forbidden Japan

Last April I traveled to China for an exhibit at the Temple of Heaven. It was an incredible experience that climaxed with an award ceremony and receiving the Power of Image award. This April I am in Japan looking for representation in Asia and looking to show my fine art work as well. 

While in Japan I have taken time to see some incredible temples, shrines and sites. One place that truly blew me away gave me a glimpse of all the amazing places in the world and reminded me how important it is to travel. If you have ever been to China, it is a good chance you have been to Forbidden City, or maybe you have watched "The Last Emperor" which is filled in Forbidden City. 

You could never guess by this image, but it was taken in Japan, not in China. This image is a miniature version of the real Forbidden City and it is done perfectly. To photograph this image I used a Nikon D4S and a 35mm 1.4 lens. This week I will share more from this incredible location along with stories from my trip to Japan.

We enhance our lives and grow in three ways: The people we meet, (you always meet people when traveling), the places you go, (like Japan in this case), and the books we read. Very soon I will share information on how you can make my newest book, Future American President special in enhance your families life for decades to come.

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.