Have you ever wanted to approach someone on the street but you are too scared?  Watch this video of how I would normally approach someone.  It's a lot easier than you think to ask someone to be your model, but if done incorrectly it will most definitely be disastrous.  For years I have been sharing my unique techniques on how to approach complete strangers/models for a photo session in my Lightenupandshoot workshop.

Behind the Scenes NYC (part 3) - Italian Leica from Lightenupandshoot on Vimeo.

Watch how simple and fun it can be.  While prepping for a shoot in Chinatown, New York, I saw a girl with a Leica film camera.  I was drawn not only to her camera but her sense of style.  I was curious about her, so within minutes I had her posing.  Enjoy. 

In the summer of 2010 I was asked to do a shoot for a underwear designer in Medellin, Colombia.   At the time Lightenupandshoot was just getting started and I was scratching the surface with honing the skills of my craft.  In 2010 I wasn't considering myself a professional photographer, but more of a guy obsessed with shooting; a newly found passion turned lifestyle.  Not concerned about what other people think, I was able to create photography that pleased me, live the fantasy of a professional photographer and there wasn't any outside noise telling me "what is right or wrong."  I was free to learn my new passion and felt the need to share my journey with the world...Lightenupandshoot.

I thought it would be fun to share a shoot I did for a Colombian underwear designer and with a famous model, Angela Giraldo (she's hot).  In this post I share with you the creative process, gear, mistakes, how I started to grow in terms of style.   It's fun to go back and look at images;  especially when I was a youngbuck rookie photographer pulling off professional work and not really knowing what I was doing technically or business wise.  But, we all have to start somewhere.  What I did have was fire and no fear to take chances.   Enjoy this look into several techniques and lessons that I learned that would be a part of my style today (as a professional photographer).

I have images scattered all over the internet:  flickr, google+, facebook, twitpic, and 500px.  But, I often tell stories in a series of images rather than post only one image.  500px has a nice feature called "stories" which is laid out similar to a blog format.  I enjoy creating "stories" in 500px because I can elaborate on the technique and the experience of each story.  I also want to point out that 500px's layout makes images look beautiful.

In this video I sit down with a fellow photographer and friend to go over a collection of portraits taken around the world posted in a recent story in the Lightenupandshoot 500px.  In the video I talk about lighting technique, equipment used, the story behind the image and there's also a self-critique of my work.  At the end of the day photography is about the experience and sharing that experience with the world.  I also love shooting with others;  be sure to visit me during one of my events in 2013.

As soon as I return from my two week journey from Colombia I will be posting my schedule for 2013.   I plan on having several workshops and events that will be everything from free to elaborate travel photography.  Stay tuned or go ahead and sign up to receive an email for the schedule.

I sometimes get asked to test products for various companies in the photography industry.  If you know anything about my style,  I don't praise or sugar coat anything unless I use it.  I will say this:  This product rocks.  It will be an essential piece of gear in my arsenal.  December 5th is the official release date.  Giveaway details to come and I'm making a video.  Photoshoot is this weekend!!! 

Did I mention there will be a giveaway????  The company making this product has sent me a few extras to giveaway!!!!  So,  tweet it, stomp real loud and spread the word.  #lightenupandshoot  #slinkygenius  #mikeysgear  come to mind.  My twitter is lightenupshoot and facebook is lightenupandshoot.