Here is another photo of Nicole that I took a few days ago in Tokyo. If you are shooting portraits of models or clients in a rather busy place, and you wish to separate them from the surrounding rush, the best way to do it is to use telephoto lens at a relatively wide aperture (this photo was taken at F3.5 / 100mm). Be careful with going too wide on aperture in cases where the models eyes are not parallel to the front of the lens, as then the narrow plane of depth of field might not be enough to have both eyes in focus (unless you are going for that particular effect, which is also fine). Another thing you can do is to convert the photo to black and white in photoshop or lightroom. 256 shades of grey are much less of a distraction that millions of colours. Lastly, tight framing of the portrait will remove even more unnecessary things from the frame, especially if there are any oddly shaped structures or objects (like lamp posts or trees) directly behind the model's head. Happy shooting!

Each type of photography requires different set of skills and artistic sensitivity. For example, street photography asks you to make a connection with the buzz around, to possess a certain level predictability of upcoming events, and even compassion. Architecture photography requires geometrical imagination, or the gift of seeing the world in black and white tones. Wildlife photography will test your patience and even how you can deal with loneliness. Portraiture, on the other hand, will test your personal and psychological skills. A good portrait photographer has to have an outstanding understanding of human nature, and needs to be able to connect with the person he photographs, and reach deep inside, bypassing any social masks and ego. If the portrait has no soul written all over it, you do not have a good shot.


Model: Lin Lynn

As a photographer you ought to tell a story and create the mood. It breaks down to being able to communicate with whoever you are photographing, reading the light in the scene and knowing how to use it to your advantage, composition, and post processing. The technical skills and knowledge of the equipment is a must too, naturally. If one of those components is missing, you have not got a shot. Photography is like poetry, you ought to put your vision in a language that will be understandable to others, without stripping it off of its original beauty. Instead of being a photographer, an observer, get involved in the scene, become a part of the environment, and you will be able to capture the subtle moments that are happening around you. Photography is an art, not a craft. If you have no emotional and passionate connection with it, you will not be able to get lost in this magical forest.

Model: Nicole Rayne

Here is another shot from a photo session with Nicole Rayne, that we had two days ago in Shibuya in central Tokyo. When I captured this frame I knew exactly what I want to do with it - go dark and fantasy theme. I added semi-translucent wings and my calligraphy artwork that I written especially for this image - 闇（の）天使 (Yami no Tenshi), i.e. dark angel). I also went ahead and did a film-like post processing, adding more orange to the skin tones and some blues to the shadows, making it look a bit more cinematic. Hope you guys like it!

Yesterday I was back in Shibuya third day in  row this week, but this time with a Scottish model Nicole Rayne, and we hit the street with a fast and furious beauty shot. Fighting against the time, it was just before her flight back to Europe, and the massive storm that was about to unleash its fury on Tokyo, we were dashing about though the boiling hot and packed with people alleys. It was a great fun, and we have a few great shots, and here is one of them. Photographers interested in working with Nicole - you can reach her via her Model Mayhem account. I highly recommend her.