Cantrell Portrait

Mon, 03 May 2010 18:53:00 +0000

Chelsea At Lunch

Mon, 03 May 2010 18:32:00 +0000

Chelsea at Lunch

Mon, 03 May 2010 18:28:00 +0000

I've been doing a portrait series I call "A Day in the Life," and have been having the time of my life. This shot was taken during Chelsea's lunch and I couldn't help but share. I hope it makes you laugh as much as it did me. FYI I shot it with the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and used the 70-200 2.8 L lense. I've used Yervant's BW action for treatment.

Bambi Cantrell

Mon, 03 May 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Wall Collage

Mon, 03 May 2010 16:35:00 +0000

I've been experimenting with putting together wall groupings. I've been photographing in "series'" lately, and this is a great way to feature more than one image. The overall size of the framed piece would be about 40 inches. In the end, I want to offer a variety of products to my clients, and this is just one more thing I can do to separate myself from the many people out there with a "good camera." :)

Bambi Cantrell

Going to the Movies- More than Entertainment

Mon, 03 May 2010 02:34:00 +0000

There is a lot one can learn from the movies. I had the luxury of a light schedule this weekend, and thus got to watch a few movies I’d been wanting to see. One of the movies I saw, while heavy, (“Brothers”), got me to thinking about the way the movie was captured, the lighting, the composition, the mood, (Maybe it was because the movie was so heavy and hard to watch.) It made me think of the many common concepts between professional cinematography and photography. In both, lighting is critical in creating the mood, and drawing the viewer to an emotional point. The composition creates interest and draws the viewer to the powerful points. In both, it takes skill to create a story powerful enough to make one cry, feel, and be moved so much by a story of strangers.

What did I learn? I learned that the color tone of a story makes one feel either sunny or sad, that blue hues give a feeling of being lost, lonely, and that of solitude. Cropping in the camera, with the power point being in either the right third or left one creates imagery that captures our attention, and that shallow depth of field draws the interest to the subject. Funny thing… I learned that I could get the same education watching Auston Powers in “Goldmember” without all of the sadness. OK.. one more thing I learned from “Goldmember” that I gotta get me a pair of gold platform boots!

Bambi Cantrell

Mona, Mossi & Nicholas

Sat, 01 May 2010 17:55:00 +0000

This morning I had the honor of photographing a lovely couple with the most adorable baby boy! Nicholas was entertaining, laughing and giggling the entire time. There is just nothing more therapeutic when you are feeling blue than the pearls of laughter coming from a 7 month old. Here is a tip for entertaining a baby.. cat and dog toys. Yes, cat and dog toys make GREAT tools for entertaining even the most difficult child. I personally love anything that squeaks. Feather dusters (clean ones), squeaky balls, and bubbles also work.

Bambi (Bambam to the kids)Cantrell

Boudoir or Bridal - Take Your Pic

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:29:00 +0000

Boudoir or Bridal - Take Your Pic!

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:04:00 +0000

I have been photographing weddings for over 25 years now and if there's one thing I know - the key to a beautiful image and the key to a sellable image is one in the same - flattery. You have to know how to position your subject so the highlights and the shadows hit them in the right places. You have to understand the anatomy and shape of your client, to showcase their best features and hide the flaws. For a woman, whether it's bridal or boudoir - your aim should remain the same. Flatter her figure.

Over the last few years, I have started photographing more and more boudoir sessions which in reality, are not much different from my bridal sessions. A bride is merely a woman in a white dress and if you're posing them correctly in your bridal images, you can take that same mentality to work a boudoir session.

In early January I held my 'Cantrell Couture Weddings' workshop in my studio here in Benicia and I had the opporutunity to photograph a beautiful woman by the name of Patty Herrera. Soon after the workshop ended, Patty booked me to photograph her wedding, engagement session and a boudoir package for her soon to be husband.

We had the boudoir session a couple days ago and I am so excited about these images. I have posted a couple of them here for you along with a couple from the wedding workshop to demonstrate that no matter what the occasion is, my aim is to flatter my client. As you can see from these sample images, whether it's boudoir or bridal, the poses are almost identical.

By the way, I will be teaching a two day Boudoir/ Fine Art Nude course with award winning photographer Scott Bourne, on June 12-13th in my amazing Benicia Studio. For details go to: http://www.aperturenatureworkshops.com/pics/boudoirworkshop.jpg

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:16:00 +0000

OH BABY!

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 17:50:00 +0000

I've had a wonderful week of photographing babies and children, and my favorite type of session to do, is in the clients home. The secret to success? Keep it simple. Simple props, simple lighting (the kind that arrives naturally) and a great deal of patience. You need more than a good camera to capture great images, and it is no accident. Beautiful images come from understanding proper use of depth of field, the direction of light and manipulating it to your advantage. In addition to the above, timing is everything. Knowing when to press the shutter is critical in capturing the decisive moment.

In the series of images above, I used just the existing light in the bathroom, and had my associate photographer, Michael Van Auken, hold a reflector just out of camera view to bounce the light back into Chelsea's face. Notice that I am about 45 degrees to the right of the direction of light. That direction gives me definition, and dimensionality. My fstop was 2.8@60th second and lense choice was the 70-200 2.8 L Canon lense. One more thing, On two of the images, I've left the tungston light setting on. I enjoy the warmth.

The Cute and Cuddly

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Lifestyles of the Cute and Cuddly

Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:48:00 +0000

Last week I had the opportunity of photographing the children of two of my favorite friends, Kostas and Kristy Mallios of Seattle. I've been photographing these two girls since pretty much the day they were born. It has been my experience that images captured in the privacy of the family home lends itself to a wonderful "homey" feel, with relaxed children, and images that are a bit more "real." I used simple tools for capture: The Canon EOS Mark IV, the 135 2.0 lense, the 70-200 2.8 and a few with the 28-70 2.8 lense. My apperature is always around 2.8 or less depending upon the amount of information I wish to have in focus. My first priority is to find the light, and then photograph with that light source in mind. All of these images were shot using either window light or existing room lights. The key to success: Be aware of your surroundings, the direction of light, and let the kids dictate the flow.

Bambi Cantrell

Giggly Girls = Great Expressions

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:20:00 +0000

Little Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 23:09:00 +0000

Every once in a while a photo session comes along that just makes me giggle, this was one.. I started by taking a tour of the family home and settled upon Katie's bedroom for our session. I used window light as the main light, and posed my subject with the main light in mind. From there, I started by telling her to jump on the bed for me. This is always a great ice breaker, (something mom wouldn't like teehee) and as a result, got my subject to relax and "give it up for me and give real smiles." At the end of the day, perfection is not only about great exposures, the correct fstop and such, but about expression.

Bambi Cantrell