Capturing candid pictures in a cigar lounge = joy, :)
Candid Pictures in a cigar lounge = my joy, :)
I'm very grateful that my branded lifestyle portrait business also happens to be my art and hobby.
I'm even more grateful that they're all intertwined, and wonderfully compliment each other to serve in tandem to improve my work overall.
Every now and then when my schedule permits, I'll shoot an event or two - different types of corporate and social varieties.
One of the events that I really enjoy shooting are for the Fine Tobacco NYC folks.
Being an avid cigar smoker, this one is right up my alley:
I turn these cigar and spirits events into opportunities to capture candid pictures that represent the flavor of the scene with the eye of a branded lifestyle portrait photographer.
I approach it like a comedian does when they do a quick spot at a small club - it gives me the opportunity to stay fresh and work out my eye in a new environment with low expectations attached to the results.
I also get a work on my patience and timing to discover and wait for magical moments to reveal themselves, which is an integral component to a successful, branded lifestyle portrait session.
Unlike during portrait sessions where I have more control over the elements in the frame, I have none of that in a live event, so, it’s a different type of challenge encountered to capture awesome, candid pictures.
And yeah, I love that type of challenge since moments are fleeting and it’s up to me to capture them.
In addition to the massive benefits that it serves to hone and sharpen my client work, it’s just a hell of a good time hanging out with people who understand, appreciate and celebrate cigar culture.
Oh, and I am a big fanboy of sexy, cigar smoke photos, so, there’s that, too, :)
Of course, I do not limit myself to these events, but, Fine Tobacco events are certainly at the top of my list of fun events to cover candid pictures.
How do you hone and sharpen your skills? What does that look like for you?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments section.
PS - For those of you who aren’t in the know, I mail out these blogs 3x a week, and lemme tell you, they’re a real party, so, if you’d like to get in on this, sign up for it here and I’ll throw in a free gift for you...because I care, :)