First, be prepared for the unexpected. Pros are able to get the job done with what they have and what they know…and are able to roll with the punches.

And, speedlights work in a pinch. :)

Here is the podcast…

Or you can download the episode here.

And here are the pictures. :)

Many people ask me how I’ve gotten so many “commercial” jobs as I have. Honestly, I wish I had more…but all that will come as my plan to take over the world unfolds.

I attribute a lot to God, honestly. Being a faithful dude (albeit, not as faithful as I should be sometimes…but faithful nonetheless…), I can wholeheartedly say that without a doubt, God is THE key factor in my success…because if it wasn’t for the gifts and abilities He’s given me, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. It’s that simple.

But I think fundamentally, it all comes down to being consistent.

You see, there are many-a-photographer out there doing their thing…and getting it done. We are a dime a dozen, my friends…so what sets me apart from anyone else who’s out there making pretty pictures?

Consistency.

Even if you consistently rock or consistently suck, at least you are consistent about it. Although, it IS better if you don’t consistently suck…but if you do, you know where you stand, right? And trust me, we ALL have consistently sucked at some point…sometimes, I still do. :)

I learned early on that being consistent was important…all the way from the basics, which would be a single photo shoot. Early on, when we all picked up a camera, we probably put the camera on automatic. We let the camera tell US what the white balance should be, what the shutter speed and aperture should be, what the focus should be…and that’s great, if things never changed…but camera’s aren’t smart enough to detect and make those subtle changes that us human beings are able to do. So what happens? You get all kinds of different pictures…some over exposed, some under exposed…some warmer, some cooler. We sometimes get that ONE shot that’s just right…but maybe only one out of every ten shots we take. Remember I told you I try to teach myself something new at every shoot? Well, on that particular day, I taught myself a couple of things; but one of those things was learning how to consistently make pretty pictures. To make sure that ten out of ten shots were great. I still try to do it, even if I’m not always successful.

But I think that’s the mark of a professional: making pretty pictures consistently. You see, there are hundreds of us that can take a decent shot…you look at people’s portfolios and pictures every day and they are chock full of lots of great shots. But are all of them great?

I’ve learned it’s SO important to have your portfolio be a reflection of you and what you are currently doing. Sure, you may have a great picture in your portfolio that you think is awesome…but is it really awesome? Is it a true representation of your work and what you can currently provide for your client? These are the questions that you need to ask yourself and you really need to evaluate whether or not a particular image is really doing you justice.

The bottom line is when a potential client or model looks in your portfolio, what are they seeing? Consistency is what tells people you can hit that mark every time you shoot. When a client asks you for a particular shot, can you deliver that shot every time? If the answer is “yes,” 9 times out of 10, you will get the job over someone whose portfolio shows great images, but lacks consistency.

When you put yourself out there for the world to see, make sure it’s something true to you and that it’s something polished and pretty…and when you execute, make it a goal to consistently rock with every single shot.

In today’s show, I talk about some tips and tricks for getting that perfect sunset shot with a swimsuit model. I’ve shot many-a-lady in front of the gorgeous sky…and I have to admit they are my favorite kinds of shots.

One of the photographers I mention in the podcast is Christopher Hartman. A genius when it comes to achieving a perfect light balance on his gorgeous models. Check out some of his shots here.

And here’s the show…

Or you can download the episode here.

And here are some pretty sunset shots I’ve taken…

I thought I would share some of the points here since they are topics I have been talking about with other photographers for the past couple weeks.

No links or notes for the show…but hope everyone has an awesome Christmas this week. Ho, ho, ho!

Or you can download the episode here.

Learned some things…and these things confirmed what I already knew…the portfolio has got to go!

I’ll be fixing it up all nice and purdy over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

And while you’re at it, listen to the show…

Or download it here.

And while you’re at it, you might want to take a look at some of the cool stuff mentioned in the podcast…

• For instance, the web site of commercial photographer Nick Onken.
• Or you may want to pick up a copy of The Photographer’s Survival Guide: How to Build and Grow a Successful Business
• And finally, you should really give the new Broken Fingers album a listen over at MySpace or ReverbNation (search Broken Fingers)

After our shoot, we got to talking…and she got me thinking about what I love shooting and why it’s so important to shoot things that you like and the stuff that you’re passionate about.

Here’s the show:

Or you can download the show here.

On this particular day of shooting, I tried 3 of those ways.

Here are some pretty pictures of Brianne…

Natural light, back-lit…

Natural light, front-lit, with reflector

And here are some with artificial light as my key light and a reflector as an accent edge light….

Some of the geniuses I talked about in the podcast…

• Nick Onken
• Andy McFarland

And here is the show…

Or you can download the episode here.

They are cool. Really.

Okay, maybe not. :)

But maybe we can overcome the uncoolness.

Here is the show…

Or download the episode here.

Here is the video we did up in the snow, in case you want to check that out.

So I headed up to Temecula for the shoot. Funny story…we had the cops called on us.

Now, it wouldn’t be an Aaron Riveroll photo shoot adventure if the cops didn’t show up…so we can definitely tuck this shoot under that category. But the cop (who was a lady) was a little confused as to why she was called since, after all, no laws were being broken. She gave us her blessing to continue our shoot…so we did.

“It’s not against the law to take pictures in your front yard in a bikini…” the cop informed us.

Tell us something we don’t know. :)

Monica even helped out by sharing,”My clothes have been on the whole time!”

The cop just sort of looked at us, not amused. :)

Anyway, it was fun…and we got some great car washing shots…but if you will notice, Monica got a tad bit wetter than the car did…actually, I don’t think we got even one drop on the car…

J’s uncle, Tim, was kind enough to let us shoot at his place…and he has the house and backyard decorated pretty sweetly…complete western theme, with tractors and a faux outhouse which he built himself. So we had to do some sexy western shots…

Anywho…for the nerds…did some standard glam lighting in these shots…

For instance, the ones of the car, I used the typical two-light deal…threw a third light with a blue gel under the car…used the 6 ft octa as the key light.

The western shots were pretty simple too…high key light angled down and then a light on the door of the outhouse, un-gridded.

Now, a lot of you know I’m a booty guy. I also am a brunette guy. However, sometimes brunettes are difficult to shoot in front of a dark backgrounds because their hair blends into the background. You need to have some separation otherwise it just looks funny. If you have the means and the gear, by all means use a hair light. Duh. But if you are a minimalist, or limited by your gear or circumstances, a tip is to rock your light up a little higher and angle it down. You still get coverage on the front of your subject…but you also get coverage on your model’s head, thus giving you a little separation between her hair and the dark background.

Enough said. Enjoy the shots…and hope everyone had a rockin’ and safe Halloween. :)

Or download the episode here.