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Rolling with the Big Dog - Olympus OM-D E-M5 - part 3 of 1 2 3

by Damian McGillicuddy Published 10/04/2015

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Just to shake things up a little bit, I wanted to share an image with you that really floats my boat. This was taken on one of our recent weekend workshops for Baby Whisperer Academy, which many of you will have been introduced to when we did the first ever live baby demonstration on stage at the Societies' Convention! Word to the wise - never tell me that something can't be done or I'll insist on proving you wrong...

What I love about this picture is that it's a bit arty and a bit conceptual, and very graphic - which isn't normally what you'd expect of newborn photography. The shape and the crop give it real impact - it's so simple, but that to me is where its strength comes from. And the lighting was extremely simple as well; it's just a 36-inch McGillicuddy Multi-Modifier, which we're feathering down the nose like butterfly lighting while also feathering towards the background, so that starts to light up as well.

I was astonished at the number of baby photographers at The Convention who came up and asked, "Do I need to bother lighting babies, or can I get away with natural light?" You can probably picture my reaction! The truth of the matter is that, as photographers, light is the raw material we work with. What do you do if it's a cloudy day? What if it's winter and it gets dark at 4pm? What if you're in a room with small windows or no windows at all? It doesn't matter whether you're shooting a fashion model, a CEO's headshot, a wedding or a baby portrait - you need to control the light as much as possible or you're just making life harder for yourself.

If you'd like to learn more about newborn photography, the Baby Whisperer Academy has another weekend workshop coming up in June. And if you'd like to come along and shoot with me on a Big Shoot Experience, and participate in a full commercial photoshoot, they take place once a month at great locations up and down the country (many of them not otherwise open to the public!) - head over to www. damianmcgillicuddy.com for more information.

Thanks as always for reading and I'm looking forward to seeing you all at the Digital Imaging Roadshow. Come and have a bit of fun, share a few laughs and learn some new tips and tricks to take your photography to the next level.

Till next time,

D

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Contact Damian McGillicuddy

1st Published 10/04/2015
last update 09/12/2022 14:51:44

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