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LIMITED TO NO MORE THAN 15 STUDENTS

RESERVE YOUR PLACE NOW (50% DEPOSIT)

OPEN TO ALL LEVEL PHOTOGRAPHERS 

“A TASTE OF ITALY“  ONLY $2850! For this 10-day, all-inclusive workshop in Italy (airfare excluded). A 50% deposit reserves your place any workshop.

* May 19 – 28th, 2012

* Oct 6th – 15th, 2012

“A TASTE OF FRANCE”  $3250,  A 10-day, all-inclusive workshop in France (airfare excluded).  A 50% deposit reserves your place any workshop.

* Oct 15 – 24th, 2012

Learn to capture the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of these magnificent countries through the lens of your camera in these delightful 1o-day workshops scheduled back to back.  The Italy workshops will take place in a town called Seggiano, in the majestic hilltops of Tuscany – Italy’s most cherished landscape. The France workshop only a few hours away from Italy by train. This workshop will take place in a beautiful town called Roquefort-Les-Pins in the Provence Alps- Cote-d’azur region approx  15 min. from the Mediterranean Sea between Nice, Cannes and Grasse. The region is dappled with historic chateaus, fragrant lavender fields, vineyards and medieval, cobblestone villages. Both locations are a photographer’s paradise. Many participants may option to attend both workshops and enjoy the diversity of both locations while further enhancing their photographic skills.

These workshops are welcome to all photographers from beginner to advanced levels and is about the total experience – amazing locations, magnificent accommodations, incredible food, good friends and the opportunity to create some of the best photographs of your lifetime with the help of an award-winning photographer.

The workshops are limited to no more than 15 students. This will create an intimate setting and permit the instructor to give individual attention to each individual as needed. 2-3 out of the 1o days will be spent resting on location, editing images or meeting for a late afternoon demo someplace on the grounds of the estate. The “shoot, rest, dine, mingle” atmosphere is intended for people to get to know one another in the group, bond over a glass of wine during dinner and share a few laughs. This will be truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Make your reservations now as seats are limited  and often fill up sometimes a year in advance.

For sample images and more details please click on the WORKSHOPS link above.

READY TO RESERVE YOUR PLACE NOW?   CLICK HERE TO MAKE A 50% DEPOSIT.

NEED TIME TO THINK ABOUT IT?………….  NO WORRIES.  CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR NAME TO OUR MAILING LIST.

This autumn I had the great opportunity to shoot a magnificent wedding in the south of France. The setting was an old village just outside of the main port of Nice.  Having lived many years in Paris I had forgotten that France just oooooozzzees romance in everything taste, smell and sight and the French Rivera is something else all together. If you want to learn how to make images like these check out my workshop, Shoot Beautiful Weddings The EASYway

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I’ve always been fascinated with retro images and old movies. Maybe it’s just the Hopeless romantic in me. From a Hollywood movie still to a vintage French postcard, whenever I get a couple that wants to play the part we always have a lot of fun. If you want to learn how to make images like these and more check out my book, The Art Of Engagement Photography.

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Hey, everyone! My “Profitable Wedding Photography” book is now available for preorder on Amazon. Be the first to get it by April 19, 2011!!!

A Fine Art Film Shooter Finds the Best of Both Worlds with Nikon’s D-700 and D3 Series

I always share my truest feelings about my photography.  A lot of people ask me about my passion for film and assume I’m anti-digital. This couldn’t be further from the truth.  I have a passion for digital just as much as I do film, and I also enjoy apples as much as I do oranges.  It’s not about choosing one over the other; rather, it’s a question of selecting the right camera for the right situation.  My film camera is like a classic car that I might take for a spin on a Sunday afternoon in wine country, whereas my digital Nikons are like luxury commuter sedans that provide me with comfort, convenience and practicality.

While I always thought that only film images could make me slow dance, whisper in my ear, and seduce me to my knees, along came Nikon’s professional digital cameras.  Until recently, I didn’t feel that digital technology had the ability to record light, shadow, and depth in the way analog cameras could; but my D700, can see the romance of candlelight flickering in the eyes of two lovers in a way my film cameras never could—having to supplement with flash fill in a situation like this would be the ultimate buzz kill, destroying the magical subtle nuances of a warm candle-lit room.

For all my film enthusiasts out there, I would like to say this: we need to be careful not to miss out on some of the cutting edge advancements within the digital world.  If we could have the best of both worlds, shouldn’t we?

I shoot with the Nikon D700 and D3, both of which have changed my perception on digital cameras.  The D700 is fantastic for a variety of reasons, but hits it out of the ballpark in low light situations.  When it comes down to it, it’s lightweight, affordable, easy to use, and boasts incredibly low noise levels, thanks to the larger pixels in its 12.1-MP FX sensor. With its wide sensitivity range of ISO 200 to 6,400 (and even up to 25,600 in the Hi modes!!), I have total confidence and control in any low-light situation.  There is no film camera that could compare to this digital performance. My D3 gives me the added security of a second memory card slot, which I have programmed to make a copy of each image on my second card. With either digital body (or any, for that matter), the immediacy with which I, or my client, can review shots from a current shoot is simply invaluable.

Does my newfound love affair with Nikon’s digital cameras mean that I am going to toss out my film camera?  Absolutely not, there is still a time to shoot film, like on a Sunday afternoon drive in my 1966 230 SL Roadster.

I will always enjoy the rich grain and graceful highlights from film; however, this “novelty” is not always practical.

Thank you all for your patience and your kind words.   As you may know, I have been offered three book deals and have just finished writing my first book.  The writing of these books have  consumed all my time, which has given me little time to attend to my blog.  My assistant will be sending out film to all those who have request it within the next week or so.   I will be checking my blog weekly and as soon as I wrap my second book, I will be checking it daily.  Until then, keep posting your questions and requests and I will do my best to get back to you.

Cheers!

Elizabeth Etienne

Elizabeth Etienne Photography:

As Photographers out job is to make any size wedding (and budget) look like a grand affair by finding just the light, composing each image in a perfect way and shooting spectacular images.

I’d be a  millionaire if I got a nickel for every person that asks me how I create the look and feel of most of my images.

“Look for the light” I always say. Leave your artificial light at home and just grab your camera!Lighting is the photographers voice. It’s the lead vocal in the band, the main course in a meal and the rhythm in a song. The right lighting can make or break the quality of an image. Too many times I see photographers over lighting their subjects by flooding their subject with direct frontal light There’s nothing less romantic, less emotional, less moving than that.

I knew a wedding photographer who shot everything with a flash. It didn’t matter what the composition was he always blinded the subject with a brightly lite flash. My advice to him was shoot your next wedding with natural light only! He thought I was crazy.  I got a call a week later thanking me after her followed my advice that he made some of the best images of his life!

There are so many beautiful different kind of light. Shooting inside or out, I’m a firm believer you can shoot in any kind of light if you just look around you. There’s back lighting , (my particular favorite), side split lighting, Rembrandt lighting, flat front light, dappled patterned light and silhouette lighting. Once you understand natural light and what to do with it you’ll be able to emulate a particular lighting pattern in a studio setting using artificial lights if you have to. Below are sample images of these lighting styles. I used exclusively natural light for all of these images.

Elizabeth Etienne Photography:

My assistants always bring a copy of my “Shoot Composition Check List”. This is a composition reminder list. My assistants or production manager keep a copy of this list in their photo vests. We also have one taped to the inside of the camera bag as a reminder. The list reminds me to shoot a variety of compositional versions of the same image set up. This will include: horizontal and vertical images, color and black and white images, center balanced and off balanced image compositions, and creative and traditional compositions. In my early days of shooting I was so eager to shoot my trademark, creative images I would forget completely about the simple, clean images of the couple looking INTO the camera smiling. These are the ones their parents usually order and frame.  Now my crew or production manager reminds me to make sure we shoot those “traditional” images first and then the creative ones second.

Obviously shooting the creative images is more fun. I like to do things like shoot the same shot but have the couple looking off camera instead of looking into the lens for a few frames. I might also shift the focus from their faces to an object like an iron gate or tree branch for variety. Having a wide variety of images assures me I’ll have the image the client might wants for a particular frame dimension or a magazine or stock agency might want for a particular layout.  I also try to remember to shoot some frames of balance leaving room for potential text for magazines or ad layouts. In the back of my mind I’m always thinking about how my images might be recycled beyond the present photo shoot. This is imperative to residual income sales. There is nothing worse than a stock agency loving and image and then asking if you have a vertical, left or right balanced or black and white version and you don’t.

SHOT COMPOSITION CHECK-LIST

REMEMBER TO SHOOT:

• Color images
• Black & White images

• Vertical images
• Horizontal images

• Individual portraits: creative and traditional
• Couple portraits: creative and traditional

• Fun/happy images
• Serious/intimate images

• Close-up – couple and individual portraits
• Mid-length – couple and individual portraits
• Far away – couple and individual portraits

• Detail shots including location details to tell the story – might include body parts (hands, feet, eyes, toes, lips, etc.)

I am presently interning for Elizabeth and am amazed at how much I have learned in such a short time. Elizabeth’s internship program has already made a huge impact on my life and my future career as a photographer.

Elizabeth’s unique mentoring style is giving me the direction and structure I need to help me achieve my business goals as a photographer. Being a great photographer is one thing, but being an entrepreneur is another and having the opportunity to be mentored by someone who is extremely successful in both areas is beyond invaluable in this industry.

Check out Christine’s work at:

http://www.christinemillsphotography.com