Month

May 2021

I love this quote more than Nutella

Above: Image by Gina Milicia “When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice.” – Robert Frank

Ep 348: The essential guide to cropping portraits

To drop or not to crop? And if you are going to crop, exactly where is the right spot? This episode is all about how to crop your portraits perfectly. You’ll discover: key cropping proportions that will make all the difference, why understanding the final use and purpose of the shot is so important, where you should NEVER crop, why you need to allow breathing space and so much more.

This nifty little gadget helps me see straight for under $10

I’ve got a real blind spot when it comes to verticals and horizontals. It’s kind of like vertical dyslexia. I can never get my images completely square. This can be a problem particularly when I’m shooting portraits of people in a room or anywhere with vertical or horizontal features such as light poles, doorways etc. I get so involved with capturing facial expressions that I fail to see the image is completely on an angle.  The one way I’ve overcome this habit is to work with a tripod which is great but I still couldn’t get my shots completely square until now with the discovery of this nifty $5 device. It’s a cool little spirit level that fits in the hot shoe of my camera, and tells me exactly when my camera is level so my shots will always be square.

OMG I forgot to shoot RAW

Above: Image by Gina Milicia Did you know that after you take a photo in JPEG, your camera will process that file according to an exact mathematical formulation determined by Hans at the camera factory? Hans (not his real name) is commissioned by all camera manufacturers to calculate the amount of contrast, sharpening and white balance that is added to your image when you select the “shoot in JPEG” option in-camera settings. Most entry-level DSLR cameras and beyond – and some point-and-shoot cameras – give you the option to shoot in JPEG or RAW or a combination of both. A RAW file is like a digital negative. It contains unprocessed data taken directly from the camera sensor. A JPEG is a RAW image that your camera has processed (according to Hans’ personal preferences). I once had two beautiful chickens, Marija and Consuela, who were prolific egg layers, forcing me to...

Ep 347: Get off auto and start shooting in manual mode today

This episode is all about how to get of auto and master manual mode forever. If you’ve been scared to embrace manual mode fully, or you’re still relying on “aperture priority” or “shutter priority”, discover how these functions all relate to each other so that you can capture the kind of shots you’ve always wanted.

Quote by D. Waitley

Above: Image by Gina Milicia Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs and that is the risk of doing nothing. – D. Waitley

Ep 346: The best portrait lenses for beginners, enthusiasts and pros

What are the best portrait lenses for beginners, enthusiasts and pros? Everything you need to know about the lenses you need to take great portraits. What you need to consider about crop and full frame, wide versus long, zoom versus prime and much more. Gina and Valerie hope you enjoy the podcast. Sign up to the newsletter for great tips and free Lightroom presets. Join the dynamic Gold Membership in our Community which delivers monthly tutorials, live mastermind and lots of behind the scenes videos into the creative process. Connect with us on Instagram @valeriekhoo @ginamilicia Click play to listen to the podcast or find it on iTunes here. If you don’t use iTunes you can get the feed here, or listen to us on Stitcher radio. Show Notes Crop vs Full frame considerations Wide vs Long Zoom vs Prime Pros of zoom lenses You can set up shots and...

Get Inspired by the amazing work of Peter Lindbergh

Peter Lindbergh was the only German in the select group of photographers who have found international acclaim in the worlds of fashion and advertising. His black and white photographs are highly distinctive. His snapshot of models in white shirts was named the best photograph of the 1990s by Vogue magazine. But few people know who Peter Lindbergh actually was. Peter Lindbergh was inspired by expressionist German films of the 1920s and the free dance of that era. He combined avant-garde aesthetics and a down-to-earth stance to create something new and distinctive – what he called a “verité approach.” Peter Brobeck, as he was then, was born in today’s Poland in 1944 and grew up in the Ruhr region after being forcibly displaced. He started off working as a shop window dresser, but then – more than 40 years ago – he bought a cheap secondhand camera to take snaps of...

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra

Above: Image by Gina Milicia “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra” – Jimmy Johnson fluke [flo͞ok] noununlikely chance occurrence, especially a surprising piece of luck.“their triumph was no fluke” Some of my best images that I’ve shot over the last 30 years have been complete flukes. I happened to be in the right place at the right time. A portrait of a young boy peering out the back of a vintage Fiat 500 as he drove past me in a tiny village in Sicily was a complete fluke. So was the image I photographed of the city of Dubai breaking through the low cloud cover at dawn. Right place, right time. Two elderly ladies, walking in the rain, wearing matching outfits in the streets of Madrid was another fluke, a gift from the photo gods. #blessed Many photographers spend their lives relying on the photo gods to give them these...

Ep 345: How to photograph high end looking products with entry level gear

How to photograph high end looking products with entry level gear. It’s not your gear, it’s how you use it. In this episode, you’ll discover how to create high end looking product shots using entry level equipment. You’ll discover: how high end images can be created in a small space with lighting kits under $200; how to photograph highly reflective products without reflections; high end looking lighting using a single speedlight and diffuser; how to minimize harsh highlights; how combine multiple exposures and edit using Lightroom and Photoshop. Gina and Valerie hope you enjoy the podcast. Sign up to the newsletter for great tips and free Lightroom presets. Join the dynamic Gold Membership in our Community which delivers monthly tutorials, live mastermind and lots of behind the scenes videos into the creative process. Connect with us on Instagram @valeriekhoo @ginamilicia Click play to listen to the podcast or find it...
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How to direct and pose like a pro

About Gina

About Gina

Gina Milicia is one of the most widely known and respected photographers in Australia. She is the master of capturing that ‘magical moment’... READ MORE

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