Here’s a small preview.

Today at Justin Flood Photography, we introduced something new, and something that we think is special.  Portraits 2.0.

So what IS portraits 2.0?  We’ll let me explain.  In the past few years,  I’ve witnessed the decline of the portrait as it was.  Very rarely do you see people other than school children sitting down for a portrait that will be hung above some vaunted mantle somewhere.   Why?  Because the photo print industry is dying a slow and painful death.    People just aren’t interested in the framed portrait anymore.

The thing is, the portrait ITSELF isn’t dying at all.   Just it’s old printed/framed incarnation.   Look for yourself, places like Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Photobucket are overflowing with pictures of people taken all over the world!   Not to mention the fact that more and more, our online-self is becoming not just a mirror of our personality, but the place where many people will meet us for the first time.   As our online lives become more and more important,  the way we portray ourselves online will also become more important.

To put it simply, those photos we take with our cellphones in our bathroom mirrors are just not going to cut it anymore.

If we really want to make a great impression of ourselves, the time has come to enlist the aid of a professional portrait photographer who can really bring out the best in you with some beautiful lighting, and a little bit of attitude.

I’m not talking about sterile, boring school-style portraits.  I’m talking professional portraits that bring a bit of the fun and attitude of your real personality to a quality photo of yourself.  Think something more akin to a great band or music artist photo instead of the portraits that you got in 4th grade.

As of today, we’re offering a great deal to improve YOUR online presence.   $60.00 will get you a one hour shoot with all of your raw images online in a password protected gallery.  On top of that we will professionally retouch 3 images which you will receive in full and web resolutions for your use on Facebook, Twitter, Dating Sites, etc.  We even have hair and makeup stylists available for your shoot for an extra charge.

Take the first step in improving your online persona today and book your shoot!

I figured I would pop in and post a couple of Valentine-sy portraits for your enjoyment today.  Enjoy!

(c) 2010 - Justin Flood Photography

(c) 2010 - Justin Flood Photography

(c) 2010 - Justin Flood Photography

Now, don’t get me wrong.   There is certainly a time and place for a fancy studio set up,  but for those of you who are still learning what to DO with a studio set up,  let me give you a tip.  KEEP IT SIMPLE.

The following images I am about to post, are all shot with a sub-$2000 camera,  a sub $200 lens, and use only ONE speedlight and a 24″ umbrella as a light source.  No banks of softboxes, no beauty dishes, no grids, no cyclorama.    Heck, no studio at all!  They are all shot on-location with just one light, placed well.   And all they feature is a sharp, well composed shot.   I think you’ll find it’s amazing what you can do with just the simplest of equipment.

This shot for example of model Nicole, wasn’t shot in a studio at all!  It was actually shot in an abandoned warehouse.   Simply shooting it with a small enough aperture, with the wall far enough away, and with the umbrella closed most of the way for the snoot effect was enough to accomplish this effect, which after a bit of retouching makes for a flawless shot that NO one would think wasn’t in a high end studio set up.

You also don’t need a green screen to do cool special effect shots.  This was also shot on location in the model’s apartment living room.    No backdrop needed,  the same trick as above applies.  Make sure you’re far enough from a wall and that your lighting is well-directed so that the background isn’t well illuminated.  It makes taking out the remainder in photoshop a breeze.   Then the creative process can begin,  and as you can tell,  I had a lot of fun with this one!

And just in case you didn’t believe me,  there is one other image from that same shoot.  As you can see, a bit of the background remains here, but I decided to leave it as I thought it gave a nice mood to the image, and accentuated the eyes.   This shot was taken with the umbrella wide open, but placed VERY close to the model,  about the same distance as my camera in fact (I was just about shooting AROUND it haha).  Remember, that when you’re shooting with big light sources, like umbrellas or softboxes, the closer the light source is to your model,  the softer and more beautiful it will be.

So I hope you enjoyed some of these examples.   I plan on putting together a video feature explaining more of my guerilla shooting techniques in the future.  For now,  experiment, and keep that camera clicking!

Here’s a slideshow of some of the images I got from this awesome event.   Enjoy!

The party was an absolute blast,  and had a totally different energy than the average party I shoot.   I had a really good time with this one, and I cant wait for you to see some of the great shots I got.

Here is a video slideshow of some of my shots from the event.   Take a look and let me know what you think!

Do you want to get involved?  Book an appointment today!   We’re looking forward to seeing you.

Just want to explore for now?  That’s okay too!   Come back soon and there will be lots to see.