Land of Ice and Snow

After what seems like the eternal winter that plagued Narnia, Spring is finally coming to Michigan. The temperature is venturing above 60 degrees, the sun is warm, and just in time for the coming April showers.

Or not. The weather in my state is a filthy, lying bastard that changes on a whim seemingly based on what would be the most devastating to anyone with any kind of sensitive sinuses, such as Yours Truly.

So in an attempt to placate the metaphorical Ice Queen, let's give winter a fond farewell by keeping this week simple and talking about one of my favorite photo sets of recent memory.

Definitely my favorite set taken in temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, at the very least.

Today's model is Daisy Jay, a good friend and wonderful performer who hails from the cold, snowy mountains of Maine. Naturally, this made her an easy choice for an outdoor location shoot in the middle of winter. The fact that she also brought a walk-in closet's worth of clothing with her to pick from on the day of the session was a nice bonus.

For the most part, we approached this sesh with the theme in mind of a European winter fairy tale; harsh, bitter cold surrounding something (or in this case, someONE) that is inversely warm and inviting. If you haven't caught on yet, I'm a bit of a sucker for anything with contrasting elements.

To further divide the difference between Daisy and the environment, I set my white balance to Tungsten, which adds a blue hue to your photos in order to offset the harsh yellow-orange light tungsten lightbulbs cast. This would mean, however, that Daisy's skin would be more akin to a Smurf than some sort of Wood Nymph. However, I fixed that by adding a shitload of Color Temperature Orange gels to my flash, which was stuffed into an Octa Softbox and held at about a 45-degree angle down at Daisy from camera-left.

(Bryce's Note: a "shitload" refers to about 2 full cuts of CTO gels, for those that want specifics)

As you can see in the picture, the background is a deep blue while Daisy remains enveloped in a warm light, leaving her skin looking natural and radiant and further serving to push her out from the harsh cold all around. This is dreamy effect, and might not be the best look for something more grounded, but for a look emulating an illustration from a folk-tale book, it sure as hell does the job.

Our time in the woods allowed us to pick out two solid outfits, the second of which being an absolute knockout of an elaborate red dress. Nearby our location was a long wooden staircase that served to connect a river to the nature trail, which, when paired with the dress, immediately gave me a "rustic noire" vibe. Think "Sunset Boulevard" in the forest and you've got the idea (and if you don't know what I'm talking about, for the love of Bogart, watch "Sunset Boulevard" and get some art in your life).

We took a few shots like the above, with the Octa light again to camera left, and while Daisy and the staircase were beautifully lit, I found that there wasn't enough detail in the shots to emphasize the setting. Even the snow on the stairs didn't do enough to set the outdoor scene, but I found the tree branches above and behind her, with their dead limbs spiderwebbing from left to right, made for a compelling addition, though they were far enough away that they were completely overtaken by black.

Curious how it'd look, which is how most of my favorite work happens, I put a bare flash down on the ground behind Daisy, put it in slave mode (as in when it senses the light from a flash going off, it goes off as well), and aimed it straight up into the branches. I also zoomed the light to 200mm, which makes more of a beam of light rather than a gigantic, wide cone, in order to keep a sort of vignette around Daisy and keep the focus of the photo around the center where she resides. Gotta say, crazy happy about the results.

(Bryce's Note #2: While I come from a mid-Michigan hunting family and am used to clothing using animal hide, it's now occurring to me that Daisy would want me to assure everyone reading this that the furs she is wearing are faux-fur and 100% cruelty-free. Personally, if fur is a by-product, I'm okay with it being used in clothing, but I will state that I feel no animal should be slaughtered exclusively for fashion.)

I find a lot of winter photography to be enchanting, but most of the time they embrace the warmer aspects of it. Which is awesome, don't get me wrong, holiday pictures that capture the essence of warmth, peace, and whimsy are wonderful and I feel that my own portfolio should include more of it. However, Winter is also a season of cold, and dark, and danger, but these qualities have their own beauty and without them, we wouldn't evolve into Spring, the season of new life and beginning.

Don't be afraid to embrace that, and play with it a bit. Use the cold and contrast it with vibrancy, or embrace it fully and create something dark and mysterious. It's a season that deserves more experimentation.



...that being said, happy it's over. Bring on the Springtime, baby!

In the Bedroom and Thoughts On Safety

Today we're talking Boudoir and nude photography, which seems only too appropriate for how recent Valentines was to us. Before we begin, however, I feel there's a serious discussion we need to touch on related to this part of the industry.

A few months ago, a friend had brought a pretty awful story to my attention, regarding a photographer who was being accused by multiple people of sexual misconduct during photo sessions, mostly sets that involved nudity or lingerie. As these are, as of yet, allegations and not entirely proven in a court of law, I will refrain from naming names here, but I wish I could say this was the first time I've heard of a photographer behaving in such a way.

I wish I could assure you, dear readers, that professionalism is a guarantee of safety. I wish I could tell a swimsuit model, who works exclusively with female photographers because she's afraid of being accosted in some way by a male professional, is being paranoid. I wish I could say the threat of ruined reputation and legal action could keep the creeps and monsters on the social leashes they so obviously need.

But I can't. The honest truth that most of us already know is you can never be 100% who to trust with such sensitive work. If you're interested in boudoir, nudes, or any kind of photography that requires more vulnerability than normal, this can be incredibly unnerving.

So for today, I'd like to take a moment and step out of the photographer's shoes and into the subject's. I'd like to offer actions that will keep you in control of the situation so as to protect yourself from any situation in which a predator may be masquerading as a professional. These are not end-all, beat-all answers, so I welcome any more tips and precautions to be shared in the comments.

1.) Bring a trusted friend or significant other

This is a simple one, and probably one of the most effective at keeping away any creeping or shady behavior. Having a plus-one to simply hang around shouldn't be a problem with any photographer, as long as you establish this ahead of time. If they refuse because of this request, treat that as a red flag and move on.

2.) Contact past clients if possible, or look for reviews online

A lot of protogs have shitty web presences (I mean, look at me), so lack of reviews should not immediately be treated as "lack of credibility." But when available, find out what people say about the pro in question. Assuming he's done this kind of shoot with others before, what is the general vibe they say he/she gives off?

3.) Ensure you are clear and concise about your expectations regarding your comfort

As you correspond with your photographer in the days leading up to your session, be sure to communicate, very clearly, what both of you want from these photos. If they ask you to do anything that you are absolutely NOT comfortable with, refuse to do it. You don't need to be nasty at first; simply inform them you are uncomfortable with what they asked. If they're any kind of decent professional (or, you know, a decent person), they should understand, back off, and move to the next idea.

If they continue to push, plant your feet and firmly reiterate that NO, it's not gonna happen. Stay in control of the session. If they still won't let up, that's where the next step comes in.

4.) If, for any reason, you feel threatened or unsafe, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY

I've given this advice before, and was met with "But what if I already payed him/signed my contract/whatever else?" Trust me, all those points are details that can be handled LATER. First order of business is getting somewhere safe. Money is not as or more important than your well-being, and in situations like this you should always trust your intuition and GET. OUT.



Thanks for baring with me, and I hope these ideas help someone out there stay a little safer. So without further ado, let's get to the pretty pictures.

These come from a recent set for burlesque performer, and my beautiful wife, Ellie Camino (who's website you can find here). The majority were taken on a large bed with beautiful translucent drapes hanging from the ceiling. I started with a soft box, but those hanging drapes worked in my favor in an unexpected way. Simply shooting hard light through them served to soften the light a bit (Ellie's skin takes hard light pretty well to begin with, so a tiny bit of softening was all that was needed), and caused light shadows wherever the fabric creased.

Look at this (edited for Blogger) shot. See the streaks of shadow on our model? Almost looks like light coming from a rainy window? Gorgeous, and was a neat lesson to keep in the ol' brain case.

That lesson being; take some sheer fabric with you everywhere. It's light, easy to store, and could make for very interesting lighting.

Now, since I started off with some tips for anyone interested in being the subject of boudoir photography, I figure I should end with a couple of thoughts from the photographer's perspective. As with the safety advice, these are by no means unquestionable wisdom, but I do have a few thoughts to share when it comes to conduct and behavior.

Most of these will probably cater to male photographers over females. I can't help the bias here, as it's the only perspective I have, but I still hope there's something to gleam for everybody who wants to pick up a camera and take shots of naked people.

1.) Relax

I know so many people that talk about how this variety of the art form would make them so nervous to do, because "I'm afraid of coming off as a creep!"

Dude, that anxiety is what's going to make you LOOK like a creep. It's not entirely your fault, but it's a pretty normal reaction when someone is fidgety and nervous to think, "What does he have to be nervous about? I thought he was a professional!" And if they read my advice above, they're in their rights to end the session and leave before you even get set up.

Number one way to avoid coming off as creepy is to be calm, confident, and...well, not creepy. I understand this is difficult for some people, but if worrying about how you come off to others is a major problem you struggle with, I suggest dealing with more straightforward portraiture until you can build that confidence.

2.) Understand and Respect Boundaries

This is probably a no-brainer to most folks, but it's imperative to understand how fragile and vulnerable in can feel to be nude in front of another human being, especially a stranger. Even a veteran of boudoir, like a professional model or burlesque performer, should be treated with the utmost care and respect for their personal boundaries.

My experience has taught me that directing a client with questions rather than commands works wonders when the clothes come off. If you usually pose clothed subjects with sentences like, "Move like this," or "Put your arm here," try instead to phrase it as "What do you think about posing like this?" or "Could you please move your leg over just a bit?"

This sounds like semantics, but it's giving your client the space and control to say "No" if they want to. It comes from a place of respect and cooperation, which is important in any environment, but especially in this scenario. It can also build the trust you need for these shots if your client knows they are in control of the environment.


I'm sure this subject will come up again in the future, but I hope my ramblings have given anyone interested in the field something to mull over.

Thanks again (and many "I love yous") to Ellie Camino for allowing me to share these shots. If you're interested in seeing her next performance, or if you'd like to book her for an event of some kind, you can find all of that information on her website (https://www.elliecamino.com/).

Thanks for reading, and stay safe out there!

Blue Collar Mentality And Learning As I Fail

A little late with this post, I know. I had a new shoot planned, with a neat little DIY project to show off...but unfortunately, Michigan was invaded by the White Walkers from the north and fell to almost -45 degrees windchill during a snow storm. Not optimal weather conditions to ask someone to come to the studio, so we pushed that session back. No big deal, we'll work off a topic I was planning on bringing up anyways: pole dancing.

First, we need a little backstory. For the past couple of years, I've been the photographer for PoleFIT Revolution, a fitness club focusing on performance art involving poles, silks, and multiple other platforms. It's a wonderful organization, and every single person involved is an incredible human being. Seriously, I'm not kissing ass to potential customers here; a large amount of the best people I currently know work and/or perform for this company.

Every spring and autumn, PoleFIT throws a showcase as an opportunity for the teachers to demonstrate the progress their classes have made, and for individual performers to unveil acts they are currently perfecting. It's an awesome night, tons of fun, and one of the hardest shoots I get to do all year.

Let's talk about why.

My first showcase was a mess in so many ways. PoleFIT has two locations, and while they have plenty of room on a normal day to accommodate a large class of active dancers, when you seat an audience of 2 or 3 dozen people in there, things get a little snug. Add space limitations to a general lack of knowledge about each performance's movements (what poles the dancer(s) was going to use, how much space they would need for a certain move, WHEN they would do said moves and transfers, etc.), and I was left with the daunting realization that I would have to use whatever light was available in the studio.

While that seemed okay at first, since the setup has lights set in a very theater-like formation aiming down at about 45-degrees in multiple places. This is good, that's where I want light anyways, but they are dimmer than I'd prefer, and I knew I'd need a MINIMUM of 1/60 shutter speed to have the faintest hope of catching their moves and transfers at a reasonable sharpness. At the time, the lowest aperture lens I had was an f3.5, so my only hope was to pump up the ISO to a level that there would DEFINITELY be graininess in the shot.

Listen, these people are amazingly talented, and had been honing these performances for months, or even YEARS, before this showcase. PoleFIT is host to medal winners and international performers, many of which are paying me to capture proof of their progress within 10 shots or more. I would've loved to have 5 strobes ready to go with an equal number of assistants ready to move them to the perfect spot at a moment's notice in order to contour the dancer's form as she nails a Superman hold. But I didn't. I had no room for extra lights (at the time, we'll come back to that in a bit), and my wife, who would have been an assistant on any other day, is also a performer and needed to save her energy for her act. Regardless, I had a job to do, so I saddled up, put my eye in my viewfinder, and got to work.

"Blue Collar Photography" is a phrase I use in situations like this, when conditions are less than your ideal but you gotta power through it anyways. It's when composition is king, because the light is working against you and sharpness is only going to happen if you're constantly moving with your subject. It's tiring. Back-breaking, even, but dealing with these situations has developed my style in a way that nothing else really has.

You'll notice from these shots that I adopted a lot of low-angles. At that first show, that wasn't a conscious decision; I was trying to use as much of the white ceiling as possible for some light bounce, not to mention a lower angle allowed me to separate the dancer from background noise like the audience and wall details, since I couldn't do it with a flash. As a happy accident, I discovered that this low angling did wonders for exaggerating the height of their climbs as well, adding a lot more drama and danger to everything.

Major note here: getting a lot of these shots meant lying on the ground or kneeling. Since I'm watching these dances for the first time WHILE I'm also taking pictures for them, this means getting into position requires dropping on a dime to get the shot. It's a very painful night, but it helps to remind myself that I'm not exerting myself half as hard as my subject is.

Nancy Reagan once told photographer Joe McNally to "Never photograph a woman below eye-level." But I'm pretty sure the former First Lady never pole danced, so...yeah.

All the shots on today's post are from the most recent showcase back in October. I'm able to take the main shots before the event itself during dress rehearsal now, which allows me much more freedom of movement, and also has given me the chance to set up flash heads without fear of blinding the general audience.

I decided to set them up high by attaching them to ceiling beams using some zip-ties. Aim them towards the dance floor, put some magenta gels on them, and BAM, you got what looks like some snazzy stage-lighting. I love high back-lighting; to me, it has a quality like a concert at a small venue. Very dramatic, even more so when all other lights are turned off and the subject is sporting some LEDs.

These pictures are much better than that first showcase, but they wouldn't look half as good, even with the strobes, if I didn't learn from my experience.

Rambling, spontaneous post aside, if there's anything, and I mean ONE THING, I would like you to take away from me here, it's to just take the damn picture. Don't skip opportunities just because you think the shot isn't going to be everything you wanted. Sometimes you'll surprise yourself with how good it actually turned out, and if you don't, you'll learn so much more from failing than from not acting at all.

You can check out PoleFIT Revolution's Facebook at
https://www.facebook.com/poleFITrevolution/


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More Bryce Grumley Photography at:
[My Website]
[My Facebook]
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The Writer

A few weeks ago I was graced with a visit from Eric, one of my closest friends. He had recently lost a large amount of weight while also treading the waters of self-publishing, starting with his short story site (which you can find at www.mythmakersforge.com. His stories are HIGHLY recommended if you like fantasy, mythology and surrealism). Naturally, he came to Yours Truly for a photo set, not only to celebrate these landmark achievements in his life, but to use for any promotional material he may need in the future.

So what we had is probably what I would consider a "jam sesh" for photography. Like with music, jamming is getting a few people together and playing away with no specific songs in mind to practice. Sometimes you can jam with a camera and some lights as well. Just try different set-ups with no initial idea in mind, and see where the wind leads you. Eric was on board, and had brought his favorite outfit to give us a starting point (which he could not fit in a few months prior).

[[Side note: I do NOT recommend this as a general approach to professional sets. While spontaneity is a huge blessing for any job, most clients will want to have a specific shot or theme laid out and obtained before you tramp off down the whimsy trail. Know when to stick to the script and when to improvise. Okay, back to your regularly scheduled programming.]]

Let's start by discussing the process that led to this shot:

At the time, my basement was currently being renovated, so my studio space was out of commission for the night. Now, my wife is a wonderful interior designer, so our floor level makes a wonderful set anyways, but it was also around Christmas time, so the other open space reserved for my portraits had a massive, but gorgeous, Christmas tree taking up a large amount of the room.

It may have been a jam session, but Eric didn't seem too keen on a Yuletide theme. Oh well, we'd just have to shoot around it.

As we played around with the set and lighting, chatting about the mood we wanted to instill into the pictures, it was decided that we would start by incorporating hardcover novels as props. A writer reading a book, right? It seemed like a natural idea.

A little cliche' as well, if we're honest, but it's a good starting place, and ideas tend to stay locked in my head until the shutter actually starts snapping away. So I got him a low ball glass of bourbon, gave him a thick collection of tales by Jules Verne, set him in a big, comfy leather chair and...hated it. It caused Eric to feel closed off, absorbed in a novel on his lap rather than engaging with the viewer. Instead of seeing a facet of his personality, we just see a smart-dressed dude who likes to read and drink. Wooo.

But you know how I said that sometimes you just have to get started and see where it goes? This disappointing turnout forced my brain to evaluate Eric's personality, and how I could express that on a deeper level than "writer=books." He's an avid reader, sure, but he is also extremely charismatic, and ludicrously confident at times. When these qualities combined in my head, I immediately envisioned a storyteller, sitting at the apex of a circle and spinning tales that captivate the people surrounding him.

I took the book away from him and instructed him to relax into the chair. I also switched to my 50mm lens and got close, sitting on the ground before him. This gives him an air of authority as he looks down at the camera from a higher vantage point, and it also works with the context of the shot by evoking the feeling of a child, sitting on the ground and being told a fable by an adult (at least, that's what I was going for).

At first I only had one light fixed on him, a 22x36" softbox that's raised about 6 feet and pointed down towards him at a 45-degree angle just a few feet from camera-left. This kept the light from reflecting in the glass in his hand and also worked to smooth out the shadows on his face, but I felt that it made the shot a bit too bright and even. Eric's stories are weighty, his prose exploding with themes of betrayal and sacrifice. I wanted his portrait to compliment that, so I grabbed a second light and shot it through a snoot (think of it like a barrel that directs the light to a targeted area rather than letting it just go everywhere).

This didn't have much of an effect on his skin, since that was already fairly evenly lit from the softbox, but it did cause more detailed shadows in his clothes, and (what I was hoping for in the first place) cast his shadow hard against the curtains and chair behind him. Now it looks more dramatic, with his confident smile assuring us that we're about to hear a tale for the ages.

That should do it for today. I'll share a couple more shots from the set before I go. Thanks for reading! A big thanks to Eric Moore for being a guinea pig for my creative impulses. Again, please visit his writing blog, Mythmaker's Forge, and give his stories a read. I promise you won't be disappointed.

-Bryce

Getting Started

Before we dive into this blog and what it is, we should probably get the awkward, elementary school introductions out of the way. This will only take a minute, I promise.

My name is Bryce Grumley. I'm a photographer based out of Michigan, working the metro-Detroit area (and beyond, really. I love this state and I'll go wherever there's something interesting to photograph). I dabble in multiple practices, such as food and product photos, but my main passion lies in portraits. I like people, especially people with unique or interesting talents, and I've become somewhat obsessed with capturing this intrigue in the best way possible.

I get most of my inspiration for lighting and framing from cinema, especially classic Hollywood productions from the 1930's to the 60's. This doesn't mean I'm closed from other influences, however, as I've made multiple shoots that were conjured from music, Italian Renaissance and Japanese woodblock paintings, short stories...generally, any artistic endeavor that genuinely causes an emotional reaction within me.

There. That wasn't so bad, was it?

Now, the point of this blog is to assist in keeping a sort of consistency in my life regarding personal photo projects, which can come and go in waves if I let my daily work overwhelm me. By taking on weekly and monthly challenges and using this site as a diary for every step of the process, I hope to share whatever knowledge I can about the process of conceiving and creating a finished image, but to receive feedback from others as well so I may, in turn, learn and grow.

With my schedule as it is at the moment, my current plan is;

1.) Make a weekly post every Friday, sharing images from a set I've taken, old or recent, and break into the hows and whys of my decisions (I.E, "Why did I put a flash in a certain location?" "What was my inspiration for the set to begin with?" and so on).

2.) Make a monthly post regarding a brand new photo set. A theme will be chosen at the beginning of the month, with the possibility of reader votes being used to settle on what idea to use if enough interest is generated. Many of these will probably be deconstructions of lighting and composition used in work by elite photographers and artists that I feel I can learn from.

I plan for this blog to expand its scope as I settle into the swing of it, but in the meantime, I sincerely hope you enjoy following along with my adventures. Come back this Friday for our first breakdown!

-Bryce