REVIEW: “Smith did an outstanding job of making what may seem like a difficult project easy...”—Affaire de Coeur

FROM THE BOOK: THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT: “Equipment is nothing more than the tools we use to create our final product. There is no magic that one brand has that another brand doesn't. Most of the differences in equipment are more a matter of convenience than producing a noticeable difference in the quality of the image you present to your client. Looking back, I can honestly say I learned so much more because I had to start out my business with a limited amount of equipment. It taught me to improvise, to think on my feet and to come up with alternatives and practical solutions for the challenges I faced when working with my clients.”

SELECTING THE PERFECT SCENE: “As you walk through an outdoor location, there are literally hundreds of possible scenes to use as the background for a portrait. With such a variety, it is very easy to become overwhelmed and basically not see the forest because of all the trees. A scene, whether it is created outside of the studio, or located outdoors, stimulates the viewer in one way or another. Components of the scene bring out certain emotions and feelings when the portrait is viewed. In knowing what effects certain background elements have on a portrait, you have the ultimate creative control over your portraits.”

ELEMENTS OF STYLE: “As portrait photographers, we typically think that our job is to create an image so the subject/client looks good. But it's not. It is to create a portrait that flatters the subject and entices a viewer's eye to focus first on the portrait and then fixate on the subject. To have a portrait that is a pleasure to view, you must have every aspect of the portrait working together. This isn't only the clothing and the scene, but the hair, make-up, pose and expression - all working together to create a single statement or look. Only when you have all of these elements coordinated does everything in the portrait seem to be needed.”

MARKETING OUTDOOR PHOTOGRAPHY: “By offering quality outdoor portraiture, you have something unique to market, especially if you don't charge an additional fee. The current focus in most senior studios has been stylish studio portraits that offer seniors a countless variety of backgrounds, sets and/or projection backgrounds. While we do offer our seniors over 260 backgrounds in the studio, we concentrate most of our advertising on outdoor portraiture because it is unique to our studio. No one else in our area that I know of offers seniors the ability to go to a scenic location without a very large sitting fee.”

SPECS: 8.5 X 11, paperback, over 60 b&w and color photos, 120 pgs, index

Jeff Smith is a professional photographer who owns and operates a highly successful studio. He specializes in high school seniors and is well known for his unique style of contemporary outdoor portraiture.