Hot piano teacher pics...

heatherfeather

Hey all! My little sister, Amberly, asked me to take some pictures for promotion for her voice lesson / piano teacher business. She is pretty darn cute, so I didn't whine too much. She is moving to Anchorage and has to get all new clientele so I'll also be designing her business cards and tear sheets for bulliten boards.

We thought and thought about poses, and decided the best way to make a unique look would be to make something out of place, but make it lovely. So, even though we had no burly men around, she and I (yes we are some buff Alaskan girls:davidto ) hauled the piano outside for some nice portraits.

1. It was around noon, and the sun was hot! I think I got sunburned. :rofl But I wasn't too sad about that after weeks and weeks of rain up here.

Hey, what do you think of my off camera flash? I used the ste2, I had the 480ex on the top of the piano (cloned that puppy out) and the 58o EXII in my left hand at arms length. Taken with the 50 1.8 , f22 at 1/100 (It took me about 5 or 10 shots to get the light right... and then whoo hoo, I loved it!)


2. The goal of these is to make her look artistic and fun, yet somehow reliable and business minded... ha ha ha... if people only knew her like I do... lol...
This is my favorite, btw.


3. At one point she got a bit goofy, but I think it looks a little dramatic.



4. And then the close ups...


5. Then she wanted some that were a bit more dramatic that said... "reliable" and "mature". We threw in the glasses to prove it to anyone worried about that....
(Somehow I think it works, though all it really proves is that she has bad eyesight! ha ha!)


6. And a black & white for kicks...


Oh and btw she is married. Sorry guys!

C and C always welcomed!

Have a great evening!

shatch

Heather,
These are great! I think you hit a home run!!! She should be very happy with her new promotional photos and should do well with her "securing new business". Awesome! Way to think outside the box and HAUL A PIANO OUTSIDE!!!! That rocks! Congrats on a great set of photos. They will look great in your portfolio as well.

jbakerphoto

I agree....These are great!!! Good Job!!

InsuredDisaster

Cool shots! hauling that piano outside was a great idea!

JAG

Great work! I am from Wasilla too...it was a beautiful day to get out and do some captures. I went out and snapped some of my lil one...perfect day for it. Again you did some awsome work. Will your sis only give lessons in Anchorage?

heatherfeather

JAG wrote:

Great work! I am from Wasilla too...it was a beautiful day to get out and do some captures. I went out and snapped some of my lil one...perfect day for it. Again you did some awsome work. Will your sis only give lessons in Anchorage?

Yeah, she has taught here for like 4 years, and now only has a month or so left doing them in Wasilla.
She is going to finish up her degree at UAA, so needs to move to save $$ on gas.

It sure was nice, especially after all that rain. I am sure sick of it. But I hear Monday is going to be nice, too!

heatherfeather

shatch wrote:

Heather,
These are great! I think you hit a home run!!! She should be very happy with her new promotional photos and should do well with her "securing new business". Awesome! Way to think outside the box and HAUL A PIANO OUTSIDE!!!! That rocks! Congrats on a great set of photos. They will look great in your portfolio as well.

She told me tonight she loves them. I can't wait to do the promo design work now... gonna be fun!

heatherfeather

unclejon wrote:

I agree....These are great!!! Good Job!!

Hey thanks for commenting!

heatherfeather

InsuredDisaster wrote:

Cool shots! hauling that piano outside was a great idea!

It was a great idea, but a lot of work! At first we planned on taking it quite a bit further than the house, but quickly nixed that.... This is only about 20 feet from her house, right on the edge of the lawn. That is all we could muster. But I think it was all we needed.

Scott_Quier

I agree with above comments - you certainly hit a home run with this set. I think #3 might be a touch dark (too bad the clouds came in like that) and the two views from above might be a bit extreme but this is a wonderful set!!!

Moogle Pepper

I like them all, but the third one where she is screaming, or looks like it, I think her hand placement should have been on the keys, not the top. Still great pieces though!


Hmmm.... I need piano lessons...

Llywellyn

First off, these are stunning!! Fantastic, creative idea, and I love how the lighting turned out.

1. Cute pose, and I love the sun flare off the corner of the piano. The left side of her face (our right) is a touch too shadowed for my tastes, and the jacket works against her cute figure in this pose. The crop and composition feel a bit off to me, as I want her feet in the frame (even if they are covered with grass), like you did with #2. But for promotional design purposes, I see how all that room is going to work to balance this out.

2. My absolute fave of the bunch! Everything is spot on. Great light, great comp, and super pose with a more natural smile than #1. Here the jacket works great to flatter and adds to her personality.

3. I like the idea, and I agree with an earlier suggestion about her hand placement. Also, if she were in a white dress to separate her from the piano more, this would feel even more dramatic.

4. Love it!! I love the comp and angle and how you can make out the piano in the background without it distracting from her face. This would be great for a business card.

5. Very cute, but the processing is working against this one a bit for me. It has an almost illustration feel to it, like the processing was pushed a bit too far, and it distracts me from her smile. I don't want to be distracted from her smile.

6. Simple, elegant, and oozes "professional." Beautiful portrait and conversion. I just want to move her hair out her eye juuuust a smidge.

Wonderful, wonderful set. And i admire the muscle work and dedication you had to haul a piano outside! :giggle

Art Scott

I am a touch disappointed......no lounging on top of the piano in a mini skirt or bikini.......come on now I know that Alaska has to be more progressive than that......:D:D:D

Okay....Really now.....those are pretty darn excellentthumbbow

Darren Troy C

heatherfeather wrote:

She told me tonight she loves them. I can't wait to do the promo design work now... gonna be fun!

Very nice images! Please make sure to post your final designs, if possible, ok?

heatherfeather

Moogle Pepper wrote:

I like them all, but the third one where she is screaming, or looks like it, I think her hand placement should have been on the keys, not the top. Still great pieces though!


Hmmm.... I need piano lessons...

Yeah...I hear ya about that. That is why we shot these so fun is to make more people want them. (Her face sells! Its true!)

#3 was more of an "out take" more than a posed shot. She kept having to contort her face in weird ways to make her smile muscles relax and this is one of those wiggle moments.

heatherfeather

The reply will be right beside your comments in bold/italicized.

Llywellyn wrote:

First off, these are stunning!! Fantastic, creative idea, and I love how the lighting turned out. Thanks for that nice comment... And also (and especially) thanks for the AMAZING Critique! Thanks for taking the time to type all this.

1. Cute pose, and I love the sun flare off the corner of the piano. The left side of her face (our right) is a touch too shadowed for my tastes, and the jacket works against her cute figure in this pose. The crop and composition feel a bit off to me, as I want her feet in the frame (even if they are covered with grass), like you did with #2. But for promotional design purposes, I see how all that room is going to work to balance this out.

I know what you mean about the jacket- I personally whined to myself when I saw how it was bulking her up. And her feet, well I miss them too. My goal was to leave a ton of room to one side so we can put all her creds and contact info and all that... But the cool thing is that we need only one of this shot to make things work and I think we got it with #2.
2. My absolute fave of the bunch! Everything is spot on. Great light, great comp, and super pose with a more natural smile than #1. Here the jacket works great to flatter and adds to her personality. Yep, we will be using this one for sure. Gonna be fun!

3. I like the idea, and I agree with an earlier suggestion about her hand placement. Also, if she were in a white dress to separate her from the piano more, this would feel even more dramatic.

I literally went through her closet to find a long dress as she normally wears much shorter ones. The pattern was definately not my favorite choice (nor the color) But the long dress was chosen to make her look more elegant and perhaps a bit older. (she is like 25) But yes I agree with your statement!

4. Love it!! I love the comp and angle and how you can make out the piano in the background without it distracting from her face. This would be great for a business card. That was my goal... I got about 4 images that will be tough to choose from from this pose, so I'll have to narrow it down somehow.

5. Very cute, but the processing is working against this one a bit for me. It has an almost illustration feel to it, like the processing was pushed a bit too far, and it distracts me from her smile. I don't want to be distracted from her smile. Hmmmm... I think all I did was convert to raw. I don't think I even opened it in Photoshop. I did bump the contrast during the conversion process. That might be what you are noticing. Or it could be the razor thin DOF. (I had it at 1.8 for that shot) And her hands and glasses are OOF.

6. Simple, elegant, and oozes "professional." Beautiful portrait and conversion. I just want to move her hair out her eye juuuust a smidge.

I have literally about 20 to choose from for this shot. I'll have to revisit them and pick one where you can see her eye a bit more.

Wonderful, wonderful set. And i admire the muscle work and dedication you had to haul a piano outside! :giggle Thanks for the comments! It really helps me grow to hear honestly what people think! You are much appreciated Llywellyn. And about moving the piano, I am glad that is done! :whew

heatherfeather

Scott_Quier wrote:

I agree with above comments - you certainly hit a home run with this set. I think #3 might be a touch dark (too bad the clouds came in like that) and the two views from above might be a bit extreme but this is a wonderful set!!!

Thanks for the comments Scott!

Elaine

Your sister is so lucky to have you around! Photog AND piano mover! I'm so impressed with your vision and ability to carry it out. She'll have the best piano teacher business cards ever!! Beautiful job, Heather!!!

heatherfeather

Art Scott wrote:

I am a touch disappointed......no lounging on top of the piano in a mini skirt or bikini.......come on now I know that Alaska has to be more progressive than that......:D:D:D

Okay....Really now.....those are pretty darn excellentthumbbow

Sorry to dissapoint.... We were trying to keep moms feeling safe hiring her to spend time with their kids... But it was tricky since she is such a hottie, and carries the sultry look naturally.

Thanks for the nice comment Art! Means a lot from such a mature pro.

heatherfeather

Elaine wrote:

Your sister is so lucky to have you around! Photog AND piano mover! I'm so impressed with your vision and ability to carry it out. She'll have the best piano teacher business cards ever!! Beautiful job, Heather!!!

Thanks Elaine! I like them, and to be honest it won't hurt my portfolio much either!

Nikolai

Wow! Piano as an outdoor prop...
And I was complaining about carrying a couple of extra sandbags...
Nice series, love the first two...

JAG

heatherfeather wrote:

Yeah, she has taught here for like 4 years, and now only has a month or so left doing them in Wasilla.
She is going to finish up her degree at UAA, so needs to move to save $$ on gas.

It sure was nice, especially after all that rain. I am sure sick of it. But I hear Monday is going to be nice, too!

Good for her to finish up her degree. I hear ya about the gass $$$$! I heard that our crummy weather this year with clouds and rain is because of the volcano irruption...but you know how rumors can spread.....

jeffreaux2

SSSWWEEEEEEEETTT!!!

I like your lighting in #1 and #2.

MY favorite of the bunch is #2. That is one awesome shot! ...and those hot glasses pushed to the tip of her nose in that one wouldn't have been a bad thing either.(In the wicked librarian style?)

Either way....great job...

Now. Where do I sign up?

papaw

That was a great idea taking the piano outside and it worked!

heatherfeather

Nikolai wrote:

Wow! Piano as an outdoor prop...
And I was complaining about carrying a couple of extra sandbags...
Nice series, love the first two...

Ah, yes... You know how it is when you have to get the shot, you'll do almost anything! (including muscle a piano...)

I am glad the great portrait photographer, Nikolai, likes them. Now I have accomplished something!

heatherfeather

jeffreaux2 wrote:

SSSWWEEEEEEEETTT!!!

I like your lighting in #1 and #2.

MY favorite of the bunch is #2. That is one awesome shot! ...and those hot glasses pushed to the tip of her nose in that one wouldn't have been a bad thing either.(In the wicked librarian style?)

Either way....great job...

Now. Where do I sign up?

Wicked librarian? That brings to mind all kinds of mental pictures...
"You have a late fee" (said in a squeaky voice)
Thanks for the mental break from designing this album I am working on... my brain is mush... my brain is mush...

Oh and thanks for the nice comment! (and that would be some commute for piano lessons!)

heatherfeather

papaw wrote:

That was a great idea taking the piano outside and it worked!

Yeah, it was work.
Thanks for the comment!

heatherfeather

The tearsheet
Ok, so this is what I came up with. If all of you could avoid prank calling her, I would so appreciate it, . (Of course if you wanna pay her $40 per hour, then be my guest! Haha!)

Obviously there will be cuts along the bottom for people to tear off the strips. I will be getting to the business cards soon, but this was priority since she will be moving very soon.

ladytx

WOW .. what an accomplished lady!! These are awesome shots and a totally terrific idea on the piano. Thanks for sharing for our enjoyment and also to get us all out of the box and challenging us to produce!!!

heatherfeather

ladytx wrote:

WOW .. what an accomplished lady!! These are awesome shots and a totally terrific idea on the piano. Thanks for sharing for our enjoyment and also to get us all out of the box and challenging us to produce!!!

Thanks Ladytx! I really appreciate the time you always take to type out a comment for people! I would love to think that I challenge people, but it is true that around here (on Digrin) I am always the one walking away challenged. This shoot is a direct result of what I have learned here, and that is pretty cool!

Llywellyn

Nicely done. Very eye-catching. I find myself wishing for more leading between the lines in that bulleted list, though, so it doesn't look so smooshed together, with ascenders and descenders from letters overlapping. Same for the quote in the upper right, where "play" and "Bach" overrun each other.

Slightly more nitpicky, in the "Lessons" oval, a touch of space above and below the "for voice and piano" and some above "Now available" so "Anchorage" isn't crowding the prices. Perhaps fixing the curve/slant on that line will add that smidge of space on the right.

Sorry--I edit layouts for a living. It's a great design. The crowded text just makes me feel a little like I'm being yelled at. A bit more space and this will be clean and readable in addition to being eye-catching and snazzy.