Many times people have asked my opinion of those big box retailers that offer photography studio sessions, often for very cheap prices, so I decided to write an article on the subject.\u00a0 My husband and I recently had a conversation about this very topic.\u00a0 He\u2019s an engineer and often makes evaluations using logic and reason.\u00a0 If considering price alone, the retail studio often seems like a better option, however one must take a deeper look to see what truly makes them different.<\/p>\n
Studio photography is all about the manipulation of light.\u00a0 Lighting placement is critical to achieving a desired result.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve ever been to a retail photo studio then you know that the lighting configuration isn\u2019t changed that much.\u00a0 Sure, there may be some repositioning and minor adjustments but for the most part their lighting remains stationary.\u00a0 And the type of lighting that\u2019s used in these studios is primarily intended to disperse the light evenly across the entire subject.\u00a0 Take a look at some photo galleries from these studios and you\u2019ll notice striking similarities among them all.\u00a0\u00a0There are virtually no shadows.<\/u><\/strong>\u00a0 You\u2019ll also notice that almost all these photos are in color, almost never in black and white.\u00a0 Why is this?<\/p>\n Now do a search for \u201cfashion photography\u201d and look at these portraits.\u00a0 Not only are many of these pictures in black and white, but most of them use shadows that make these photograph interesting and powerful.\u00a0 When lighting is properly used, color often times is simply not needed.\u00a0 The picture literally speaks for itself; it becomes intriguing, alive.\u00a0 Many times people aren\u2019t even sure why this picture \u201cpops\u201d off the page, they just know that it looks nice.\u00a0 When a photographer is able to manipulate lighting, he or she is able to draw attention to, or away from, a particular area.<\/p>\n A professional photographer is like a magician.\u00a0 He understands where the eyes will focus, what colors to use to elicit a specific emotion, where to cast a shadow in order to create a slimming effect, what shape to use to achieve his desired outcome.\u00a0 Many tend to incorrectly believe that Photoshop is the main tool for manipulating a photograph whereas a properly taken photograph needs very little editing.<\/p>\n So do these big box retail studios have a place?\u00a0 I think so!\u00a0 Look at what\u2019s being advertised by these studios\u2026baby pictures.\u00a0 I mean who doesn\u2019t love cute baby pictures!\u00a0 Babies don\u2019t need to be positioned in any particular manner to make them look better; they don\u2019t need shadows cast in some particular manner to draw attention to their best features.\u00a0 Do a google image search for \u201cbaby pictures\u201d and look at what you see; bright pictures, white backgrounds, and very little shadows.\u00a0 In these pictures people expect to see THE BABY.\u00a0 Babies haven\u2019t yet learned to fake their emotions and to \u201cput on a show\u201d.\u00a0 Their naturalness is what makes the picture great.<\/p>\n When deciding which studio to use, one should think about what they are trying to accomplish.\u00a0 And don\u2019t forget the most important element here, a great studio with all the latest and greatest equipment is only as good as the photographer that understands how to use it correctly!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many times people have asked my opinion of those big box retailers that offer photography studio sessions, often for very cheap prices, so I decided to write an article on the subject. My husband and I recently had a conversation about this very topic. He\u2019s an engineer and often makes evaluations using logic and reason. If considering price alone, the retail studio often seems like a better option, however one must take a deeper look to see what truly makes them different.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n