Category: Portrait Photography

Studio Update and Self Portraits

Posted on by martinbelgica

I have some updates on the studio. I have added curtains and clothing hanger for wardrobe. I have also installed a full body mirror and a half body mirror for makeup and fitting. There is still a longway to go for this photography studio. For the mean time I took some self portraits and did some random recording to test my equipment and its response to my chosen internet provider and also the flow of work that could happen in the future.

STUDIO MIRRORS

DOING NOTHING AND THINKING SOMETHING

Do you know the feeling of having a place to do work but not have anywork to do besides buying stuff to make things better? That situtation is my situation. The studio is now ready for use with some lack but how can we get better funding if the work or demand is super low in the small mid scale of things. Do we still need studios to get signed by an agency? There are a lot of questions in mind about the industry adding Artificial intelligence to that in the area of employment, we can feel and say that work is under threat.

Thinking something as time goes by is becoming a default fot there is that thought of having the place but not doing anything in it. Each afternoon inside my studio I tend to test and do things just to feel that there is something productive going on but it is not the case. The main idea of what I want to say is if there is nothing to do thinking of doing something becomes a default when you are in the environment of a workplace.

WORKPLACE YOU OWN VERSUS NOT YOURS

Working in a place you own has some good things in it. You can take of your shirt and relax. Working in an environment that is not yours tends to make you feel like choosing time, should I speed up time in my mind or not? Speeding up time is based on the idea that, “Hey today my boss sucks and so I hope this gets done urgently so that I can have some simple errands to do and go home.” Having fun on a place you don’t own tends to be the slowing down of time. Going home after work and still having that itch to finish the job or get it done makes you feel bad and excited to go back to work the next day.

If you own the place on the other side the spectrum quadrant of progress is you might feel differently, I feel like I want to accomplish more get things done and move forward into more things I can fit inside my schedule. Paying the bills of a place or a workplace makes you utilize the workplace and do much work as you can, getting tired sometimes is no longer an option but a privilege of feeling I have done something worth a couple of days or you can say worth some cash in the future.

ANGRY GRANDPA MERCH SILLY SELF PORTRAIT

Hoping for good things in the future and for now I tested the studio continuous lights at 50w and I got these types of photos.

Glamour Photos I like on Shutterstock

Posted on by martinbelgica

Let’s explore Glamour photos from other photographers on Shutterstock to create an environment for this years shoots.

PLANS FOR THE YEAR

Months ago, I was planning to do a ‘Guess’ Brand shoot for 3 looks or stylings, so for this year, one brand in my mind is the ‘Guess’ brand with 35mm or 50mm Nikon primes. I am also planning to do 3 fake brand shoots for the price and comparing what is really the difference why fakes are not better than authentic clothes, is it the response of a model to the fabric or the subconscious impression of it being fake. I will not omit the reality that it is fake on shoot, so I will really straight forward tell the the brands are fake. Comparing the Authentic brands to towards the fake will give me 6 shoots, that will give me 6 more to produce. I am still thinking of what to shoot for portraits for the rest 6 as a ‘warm up’ year for portraits and glamour photography.

MY GLAMOUR PICKS FROM SHUTTERSTOCK

 

These picks might be a projection of what I like based on my mind and character and what will be produced by me or how it might look, or an atmosphere we can work on, these photos will give a sense of how I think and how it might come out after the year.

MY PROJECTED STYLE IN GLAMOUR

Glamour for me is just scarcity and longing. How can you be that exposed yet not touchable, like a high value person, a lustful fantasy or just plain “I don’t deserve it.” Yet in publication of such photos the observer can kind of taste what is hard to experience. A private jet trip to somewhere expensive is a perfect example of glamour that most people can’t do. 

COMMERCIAL GLAMOUR

Commercial glamour on the other shade of what is glamorous is what is desirable attainable with restraint, an example of glamour photography that is commercial is the advertisements we see on TV and internet it is attainable yet very temporary and held back for it creates fanaticism when in momentum and consistency. A taste of insanity in a package. “You can taste it but you cannot get addicted.” That is what commercial glamour photography means to me. 

Overall, these things sell glamour photography. A sense of longing and a taste of tempting delights. A perfect harmony of indulgence and discipline. Portrait photography on the top of it is a different story. I will talk about that next. 

PORTRAITS, HONOR, INTEGRITY AND HERITAGE

A good portrait for me is of meaning, at that level finding and scouting subjects for it is a challenge, in a small level we can just accent what is present and make good of it. Portrait is honor, integrity and heritage, what does it represent? What is it about? Who is this person? Getting good at this style can get you published. Finding what is good is the challenging part of good portraits. finding what is best on a person already the best full of honor, integrity and heritage. Good luck on that, at that level I am not yet familiar.

So that is it for today, I will write about other things the next week. I do weekly posts. 

 

Studio Moments for 2023 Pre Purchasing

Posted on by martinbelgica

             Hello 2023. The 50 watts bulb for the cheap softboxes just came. Price is like 5 dollars per bulb, around 500 Philippine pesos. I tested it to see if it will work compared to continous light Yungnuo. I am having struggle to complete my budget for this small studio. My purchasing month will be march and before I can use the studio for projects it will take time, for now let me show you some of the pictures the studio can produce pre purchasing of equipment. #Hardtimes.

I took my Video light and plugged the softbox. It looked like shit.

But lets still check on how the lights would look based on a wall background rather than a Cloth or paper backdrop.

NIKON COOLPIX SB5100

Nikon Sb5100
Nikon Sb5100

I used 2 cameras for testing, the Nikon point and shoot sb5100 and my Oppo Reno6. Oppo has good exposures while the old Sb5100 is kinda struggling with the Auto Focus so I had to take a number of shots just to get something in focus.

In monochrome
In monochrome
Underexposed Photo using Coolpix SB5100
Underexposed Photo using Coolpix SB5100

Old Nikon Cameras can still produce good images but you can tell the developments from modern coolpix cameras that sb5100 is very old. Last photo for the Nikon Coolpix.

The light was received okay using the coolpix but not as good as newer Coolpix cameras. My exposure meter was right on the middle not overexposed but just right.

OPPO RENO 6

The Oppo Reno6 had better exposures but the quality is much more less in terms of texture and pixel. The technology and Ai of the oppo produced better looking pictures but with less quality.

I had fun with the Oppo its focus system was better and it was just tap tap tap. A very usable device to take decent portraits for Social Media and blogs. Who needs a Bridge and a point and shoot?
“I still prefer point and shoots though. Shhhhhh….”

Mobile Portraits is fun. I am not into portrait photography but sometimes I take photos of family and friends. It is not my forte but it is also a fun style or type of photography. Taking portraits is also one of my lack in terms of photographic imaging and style. I am planning to venture in depth with this style in the future. Portrait photography is also the unescapable image for everybody wants to be photographed and be seen in a rectagular space or square. It brings memories or maybe just pure vanity.

I can’t post family portraits here or portraits I took cause it feels weird to post family pictures specially if it is your family. I can post maybe some simple portraits just for reference on how I take portraits. One is landscape square and one is a traditional portrait.

 

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY NAHHHH!!!

Some say that cropping is done not on the joint but I just think of it this way, do not crop out of context of your shape. That is my simple rule but if you do not like my rule then shit. I suck at portraits. I just prefer to crop in context of the shape. A round face must be contained what is within that round face must be expressed. It is that simple cropping rules can go to the trash bin but most of the times cropping rules still fit with my technique I just don’t like thinking of it. 

SELF PORTRAITS

Self portraits is just selfies. It is challenging and fun and so the only thing I can do with it is to practice my posing, my gestures and my directing as per models. To know how to direct a model is to slightly know how it works.

So to end this blog is to just say lets hope this studio goes somewhere in the future and produce good photographs to be published and be seen by the people who supports it. 

Self portrait Martin Belgica Nikon A900 8 Gunner Cap

Doing Portraits with A900 with Andoer and YONGNEO YN300 II

Posted on by martinbelgica

Back Doing Self portraits since IDK. Here is one of it from 2015.

I am not a fan of self portraits and portrait photography so I apologize if it will suck. Here are photos from Nikon A900 with andoer Lights and YN 300 II

The difference from before is generating enough key light. Common sense versus google know how. I learned a lot from google but experiencing it teaches more. NIkon AF system is okay but not super reliable.