Final Picture - I think coming in close and lighting up the face worked well. I like the Black & White conversion, it isn't over done in contrast like some of my other attempts. Mostly what I worked on was my post processesing work on these, trying to use my software to enhance the photos I had. I have tousands of pictures but I want to make sure I am getting the right look out of them when I am done with them as well, I want them to look natural but to pop.

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 1 - student project

This is Wanetta, she was a fantastic model very easy to work with but very serious. We started inside. I was at an event to help me learn lighting techniques for inside and outside photography.

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 2 - student project

When we moved outside at first we were up against a brown brick wall, with her skin tone, it just washed her out so I asked if we could move to somewhere else. Unfortunately as nice as this looked it was covered in mosquitoes I felt really bad for moving her over there as she was getting eaten alive, but everyone was still in a good mood and I made a joke about her not knowing she was going to be donating blood today and she flashed this great smile.

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 3 - student project

This is another shot, she was really sweet and after we got a few more we let her leave the mosquito infested area. She was still very nice to add me on Facebook so we could correspond and I could send her some of the shots I got of her.

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 4 - student project

This is Angel she was wonderful as well, very artistic and professional. No prompting was really needed for her at all, mostly when I was shooting on her I was trying to make sure I was getting the right tones and lighting her skin correctly for the different areas we were at, inside/outside and different was it was laying on her.

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 5 - student project

She had some tattoos and I didn't want to miss them, on this shot I was trying for a old style glamour movie girl look. I tried lighting up her eyes a bit more to draw you in to them, but not lose all the detail in the rest of the picture.

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 6 - student project

I was trying something different by completely taking out the background which was brown and I off set her to the side. I like how it looks but have had a lot of people tell me they don't like all the empty space.

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 7 - student project

DeAngelo was also great to work with, lighting around his eyes was my main focus here.

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 8 - student project

I love Black & White photography, I converted the photo above (I think in elements 10)

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 9 - student project

This is Tomas, the background on this was the same color as his jacket so I changed it to a brown to help pull him away from it, I really wanted to get up close to him, the sunglasses really showed a side of his personality that I thought made him stand out.

Final shot ; (9 Of my Shots) Breaking Free - image 10 - student project

My Top Ten

This year I am breaking free of old habits and learning new things. I want to try and understand how to take better portraits technically and artistically. Every year I say this is the year I am going to do more with my photography; yet every year I continue with the same old same. I did a little better last year by attending a few workshops but this year I am going to push myself to be the photographer I have always wanted to be. That being said Ten photographers that inspire me.. well lets see...in no order of significance

10. Paul Michael Kane - Although he isn't a big name in photography (yet) he has a great eye and a great heart. His specialty is taking the old and decaying landscapes of forgotten buildings and capturing their beauty and soul.

9. Ansel Adams - I love how he could bring a landscape to life using black and white film. The depth and life you can see in one of his landscapes while simplistic in theory are so complex it takes your breath away.

8. Dorothea Lange - Though best known for her Migrant Mother; she was an early pioneer of female photojournalist documenting not only the plight of the migrant workers but the forced evacuation of the Japanese Americans after the attack of Pearl Harbor.

7. David Doubilet - I dreamed of being a National Geographic photographer when I was a child, to escape to far off lands and underwater utopia's.. I lived vicariously through Davids lenses. I heard him speak once and was brought to tears when he talked about and showed us the photographs of the dolphins that are being massacred for their fins.

6. Nadav Kander - Stunning work with a wide variety of subjects from Chernobyl to proving that beauty is not only a size 1.

5. Harold Davis - He has a way of making flowers look even more beautiful than I thought possible.

4. Michael Levin - I think of Michael as the Ansel Adams of the 21st Century.

3. Brandon from HONY - College student, turned stock broker, turned street photographer with a knack for getting people to poise for the camera. Recently with the help of Tumbler founder and some other influential members of society helped raise some nice money to help those hit by hurricane Sandy.

2. Michael Ares - I like the down to earth feel of his work, and the raw way he opens himself up in his blog.

Last but not least

1. Jared Polin - Jared is a funny, talent photographer that puts himself (and his Fro) out there to help the new, intermedite and even seasoned photographer learn some skills in shooting, photoshop and how to keep it RAW.

Angela Ghataora

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