Above: Image by Gina Milicia “If you need a science degree and a membership to Mensa International to use your photography equipment, then chances are you’ll never use it.” There is a room in my house where all my impulse purchases are stored. These are items I convinced myself I needed but no longer use, like the bread machine (made me fat), the ice cream machine (see “bread machine”), and the Ab Cruncher Pro (purchased to undo all the damage caused by the bread and ice cream machines). Along with the everyday stuff, there are dozens of cheap photographic accessories, bought on impulse only to be regretted later. Like the silver umbrella I bought for $10. It fell apart the second time I used it; now, when opened, it covers everyone within a five-mile radius in silver glitter. Or the three cheap remote triggers I bought, because every girl needs...

Above: Image by Gina Milicia “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Sir Winston Churchill

“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.” – Vincent Van Gogh Imagine if you could time travel 100+ years and find out that you are now one of the most beloved and respected artists in history. I’ve watched this episode so many times and it still gets me. 

Above: Image by Gina Milicia A few years ago I decided to invest in a fancy coffee machine. You know the ones that grind the coffee for you, give you the option of making short black, long black, decaf, latte, macchiato or whatever type of coffee all the cool kids are drinking. Dave, the salesman at the place where beautiful shiny things get sold, did an amazing job selling and upsizing this gorgeous machine. Then he proceeded to give me a demo: “It’s easy,” he said. “Here’s what you need to do…”  At this point I did what I always do when someone is giving me simple instructions or directions – I tune out, smile politely, nod approval now and then and assure them I understand the “simple” 79 steps needed to make “the best coffee ever!” “Boiler pressure needs to be… and the burr grinder… something about pumps, tamper...

“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.” – Don McCullin  Above: Image by Gina Milicia

Above: Image by Gina Milicia, A farmer, photographed in Sicily for www.sicilianfoodtours.com 1. Be Authentic Always ensure the words you are speaking are yours. Just because you once heard a photographer say a certain phrase that always worked, doesn’t mean it will work for you, particularly if the style, language and tone isn’t similar to yours. The most important thing to remember is to be sincere and authentic in everything you say. Don’t say, “OMG, you look amazing in that dress” if you don’t believe it. There will be something in your tone or body language that will give the lie away and your model will lose trust in you. Try looking for something that you truly believe. It may be that you love the colour of their eyes, the way they laugh or their shoes. 2. Lower your voice, speak clearly and confidently Okay, this is harder than it sounds. I...

Above: Image by Gina Milicia The energy you bring to a shoot is going to have a huge impact on the person you are photographing so it’s really important that you check your mood, body language and tone during a portrait shoot. It’s not what you say that matters. It’s how you say it and here’s why. Have you ever been served in a cafe by a waiter who would rather be at home watching Game of Thrones? Or a shop assistant who has memorised the shop assistants’ generic greetings but just forgot to care about what she was saying along the way? The waiter is polite, gets the coffee order correct and even smiles at the appropriate times. As far as serving coffee 101 goes, this guy has totally nailed it. The problem here, and it’s nothing he said or did, is that the energy or care factor isn’t there....

Love this quote about the difference between confidence and arrogance. “Arrogance is all about trying to prove yourself. Confidence is about improving yourself.” – Sean Stephenson Above: Image by Gina Milicia

Here’s a really quick and easy way to improve the appearance and texture of hair in a portrait using the selective adjustment brush.

Above: Image by Gina Milicia “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” – Henry Ford There is one accessory I believe every photographer must possess to guarantee they nail the shot. You won’t find this on Amazon, B&H or most camera stores, and second hand versions are useless. This accessory must be acquired new and like great hiking boots, you need to break it in. A word of caution – with all good things – too much can be dangerous. It’s a delicate balancing act but when you get it right, this accessory will make you unstoppable. So what is this amazing accessory? Is it a lens, camera, light modifier, tripod? Nope, none of the above. The accessory that I speak of is confidence. When you have confidence in your abilities to get the job done, life as a photographer becomes so much easier, and it shows....