Defoenet.com » Photography

Ex-Beauty Queen Photo Shoot

David — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:35:07 +0000

I had the pleasure of working with Ashley over the weekend. Ashley was a teen beauty queen and is a dancer. There are a few things here that could either make the photo shoot great or difficult. A lot of beauty queens have a hard time making the transition from beauty pageant to modeling. I believe that it is easier for a beauty queen to transition into being a tv spokesperson. The reason is that if you have won a beauty title the girl/woman has to be great at interview and has to present themselves well. While the pageant smile looks great on stage and in an interview is often does not do well in fashion or advertising images. So a beauty queen needs to break the habit of the one face smile look. One advantage I have found from working with pageant participants is that they know how to “smile with their eyes” or put a “sparkle” in the eye.

I enjoy working with dancers because they are usually limber and used to being able to hold uncomfortable positions. We joke sometimes that a model needs to be like a human pretzel and sometimes this isn’t far from the truth.

Are you a Michigan beauty queen or dancer that would like to try modeling or just get some pictures to add to your portfolio? Contact me at Defoe Photography. I’m based out of Saginaw and have opened a new studio in Bay City.

Location Glamour Photography

David — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:37:50 +0000

Every woman loves to look beautiful. And it is the photographers job to make sure that no matter the person and location that the personality and beauty of the subject comes out. I had a client ask for some glamour pictures with a guitar. She is really into music and has wanted to do this type of photo shoot for a long time. In order to feel comfortable and get the best images we decided to take the pictures at her house instead of in the studio. I packed up my gear in Saginaw and drove to Bay City. The photo shoot went well and we were able to get some fantastic images.

Need a Saginaw photographer for your picture concept? contact me

New Flash and Softbox for Christmas

David — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:35:15 +0000

Like most hobbies photography can be expensive. There are many things on my wish list and only a few that are really affordable. Strobes are a necessity for any studio shot and I love the quality and price of the Flashpoint II strobes. So when I got some extra money for Christmas I decided it was time to get another strobe. I already have a battery back and beauty dish so I decided on the Flashpoint II 320M Monolight Kit, 150 Watt Second, One Monolight Kit with 9.5′ Black Light Stand and 24" x 36" Softbox kit. I figured this was a great addition to the equipment that I already had. Plus the price of the kit was less that a speedlight. The box arrived within 3 days and I was excited to use it!

Softboxes are not always the easiest things to assemble the first time and this day was no exception. The first time I put it together the poles didn’t line up and what should have been a rectangle looked like an oddly bulging square. Second attempt was a charm. Not so bad really it just takes a little bit of muscle to pull the box into shape. Once the softbox was assembled it was easy to twist onto the strobe and within 30 minutes I was flashing pictures.

Above is one of my first test shots with the new strobe and softbox. Special thanks to my son for being a test model!

New Photo Studio

David — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:24:14 +0000

Moving into a new photo studio. Getting ready for my first photo shoot my photographer friend Joe showed up to help me paint a wall. A few hours later when everything was done a few other friends stopped by. We hung out for a while and . . . of course . . . they became my first subjects – even if they didn’t want to. This is what happens when you just stop by to say “hi” to a photographer at his studio.

The new Defoe Photography studio is open for business!
www.Defoe-Photography.com | www.facebook.com/defoephoto

Rock The Runway Detroit 2011

David — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:01:59 +0000

I had a blast at the 2011 Rock The Runway Detroit that took place on Saturday, December 10th at the Emerald Theater. The event benefiting Wigs 4 Kids featured four live bands, many Detroit area designers and hundreds of models. For more info check out the Rock The Runway Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/RockTheRunway

Following are a few images from the night:

For more visit my Defoe Photography Facebook page.

Photography Lighting Training Saginaw

David — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:03:39 +0000

Last weekend I met with two new photographers to work on some lighting techniques. One of the photographers had just purchased a lighting setup from a mid-Michigan photographer that was getting out of the business and selling their equipment. Having had the equipment gathering dust in the basement for a few months they figured it was time to figure out how to use it a little better. Being honored to be asked to give them a private workshop we gathered in a basement on a Saturday morning. We had a lot of fun playing with the lights and working with one experienced model and one nub.

The following picture was taken with 2 soft boxes. Both lights were behind the model at about a 45 deg angle pointing at her shoulders.

Saginaw Model Photography

David — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 22:24:26 +0000

It was nice over the past weekend not to have to drive to Detroit for a photo shoot. Through ModelMayhem I had been talking with a model from Saginaw and we finally got together for a photo shoot. Shoot turn out great and Lakeshia was a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend her for all you Great Lakes Bay Region publishers and online product website photographers. In fact you can call both of us to work as a team! Photographer and model all in one!

David

Michigan Model Photography

David — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:21:00 +0000

I had the joy of working with another Michigan model. I had worked with this model once before. The day was a little bit cold but we went onto the roof of a building and got some fantastic pictures. I hope they will help round out her model portfolio.

Are you an aspiring Michigan model and needs more pictures for your portfolio? Contact Saginaw model photographer David Defoe (me).

Best Photographs

David — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:20:21 +0000

Often I find myself wondering which images people really like. Often I pick a favorite, post it on a few social media sites and get no feedback. Then I’ll post one that I didn’t really like and get a huge amount of feedback. This is where website stats come in very handy. I’ve experimented with a few photo sites over the years and keep coming back to SmugMug. One of the reasons is there stats. The image shown here was the most viewed image from a photo shoot that was done at the Belle Isle Aquarium in Detroit, MI. I would not have guessed that this would be the most popular shot from the shoot but that stats don’t lie.

Photography taken by Saginaw Michigan Photographer David Defoe

Detroit Fashion Show Photography

David — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:43:52 +0000

As part of the Detroit Design Festival there was a Fashion Show at Red Door Gallery presented by Fuzzytek. The fashion show was a culmination of 6 years of Fuzzytek’s Abandoned in Detroit fashion project. Having been a regular participant of the Abandoned in Detroit photo shoots over the years it was fun to be a part of this fashion show – again working as a photographer. I picked a deserted room at the end of the runway for my pictures. I had better hope in the room than the end product turned out. After looking at my pictures I should have shot from the main room. This is a situation where trying something different wasn’t necessarily the best idea. The original fashions were great and the models did a fantastic job showing off the clothing.

More at: http://pics.defoe-photography.com/Fashion/Abandoned-In-Detroit-2011/