Celebrity Portrait Photographer

‘The Environmental Portrait’ at Adorama – NYC April 12th

by Brian Smith on April 1, 2011

in Seminars & Speaking

The Environmental Portrait
An Evening with Brian Smith, Sony Artisan of Imagery

Time: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 5:30PM – 7:30PM
Location: Adorama, 42 West 18th Street, New York
Price: $25.00 – Registration deadline for this Special Event is April 11, 2011

Great portraits capture the soul and spirit of your subject. This Special Event with celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith will focus on ways of breaking down barriers and the secrets of working quickly to capture the great portraits, whether you have minutes, hours, or days to get the shot.

I’ll be sharing the lessons I’ve learned over the past 30 years as a top magazine portrait photographer capturing the faces of the famous, infamous and even the un-famous. We will talk about keys to capturing great photographs of people on location by learning to blend personality and place to reveal more details about the subject.

This seminar will focus on:

* How choosing a great location can enhance the mood and feel of a portrait
* Examples of location lighting large and small
* How to combine strobe with ambient light to create dramatic portraits
* How to bring back great portraits of people you meet while traveling

Each attendee will receive a $25.00 coupon at the event in exchange for a copy of their registration receipt.
The coupon will be valid for 30 days towards the purchase of any merchandise when presented at either Adorama’s retail store at 42 West 18th Street, New York, or for an online purchase at www.adorama.com

Golfer Graeme McDowell photographed in Horshoe Bay, Bermuda

NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon photographed on Homestead Speedway

Tagged as: Brian Smith, Celebrity Portrait Photographer, environmental portraits, Great portraits, Sony Artisans of Imagery

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Sony World Photography Festival – San Francisco Nov 18-21

by Brian Smith on November 3, 2010

in Seminars & Speaking

I’ll be speaking on ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’ and ‘Marketing & Commercializing Your Photography’ plus doing portfolio reviews at the Sony World Photography Festival in San Francisco on November 20th and 21st. The Festival also offers an great opportunity to hear from and meet legendary Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt along with my fellow Sony Artisans David McLain and Andy Katz.

The World Photography Festival runs from November 18th-21st at Left Space Studios, 2055 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA Tel: (415) 285-5338 Open from: 10:15 AM – 7:30 PM daily.

Saturday, November 20, 2010 – 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Portfolio Review Sessions [SOLD OUT]
A photographer’s most important marketing tool. Come and show your portfolio to experts in the photo industry, from curators, gallery owners, book publishers, established photographers magazine and newspaper editors who will offer constructive critique and advice.

Sunday, November 21, 2010 – 10:30 PM to 12:00 PM
Marketing & Commercializing Your Photography
Speaker: Brian Smith
Identify how to succeed as a photographer within your local and international markets. A panel of industry experts review a photographer’s instrumental assets such as a website, awards a portfolio and the range of styles needed to commercialize your photography.

Sunday, November 21, 2010 – 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM
Secrets of Great Portrait Photography
The Sony Artisans Series: Brian Smith
Celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith will share the lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years capturing the faces of the famous infamous and un-famous as a top magazine portrait photographer. He will discuss his approach to editorial and commercial assignments from concept to final images, detailing his approach to lighting and problem-solving on productions small and large and share his secrets of working quickly to capture the personality of the people he photographs. Smith will also discuss how personal projects can be used to generate editorial and commercial assignments and allow your personal style to evolve and grow while generating assignments you love to shoot.

Burlesque Dancers Evil Hate Monkey and Violet Eva photographed in Las Vegas

Burlesque Dancers Evil Hate Monkey and Violet Eva

Be sure to check out my fellow Sony Artisan’s of Imagery while you are there:

Friday, November 19, 2010 5:30 – 7:30 PM
The Sony Artisans Series: Andy Katz presents ‘Sonoma’
Worldly travel photographer, Andy Katz presents his newest book Sonoma and shares his journey through photography. Following the presentation, enjoy a wine tasting with Rodney Strong Wineries.

Saturday, November 20, 2010 2:30 – 5:00 PM
The Sony Artisans Series: David McLain
Acclaimed editorial, commercial and National Geographic Photographer, David McLain leads a workshop on combining still photography with video and illustrates how a photographer’s work can reach new audiences.

The Festival also features conversations and book signings by Magnum photographer Elliott Erwitt and Ken Light.

Saturday, November 20, 5:00 – 5:45 PM
Book Signing at SF Camerawork: Elliott Erwitt & Ken Light
Location: This event is at SF Camerawork Gallery on 657 Mission Street.
Be one of the first to pick up these renowned photographers brand new books. Celebrated Magnum photographer, Elliott Erwitt new book ‘PARIS’ is sure to transport to this magical city. With a keen eye for the real city, Erwitt sees beyond the tourist clichés. Whether the mightiest of monuments or the charm of la vie quotidienne, this master photographer chronicles it all. Alternating intimate details with grand vistas, Erwitt captures the true flavor of la metropole.

Social documentary photographer Ken Light’s newest books are ‘Coal Hollow!’ and ‘Witness in Our Time’ which gives readers a rare glimpse into the minds of some of the most talented contemporary documentary photographers and provides personal accounts by photographers such as Sebastião Salgado, Mary Ellen Mark and Eugene Richards.

Followed by:
Saturday, November 20, 6:00 – 7:00 PM
In the Photographer’s Studio Ken Light in conversation with world-renowned photographer Elliott Erwitt.
Location: This event is at SF Camerawork Gallery on 657 Mission Street.

Tagged as: Brian Smith, Celebrity Portrait Photographer, magazine portrait photographer, Marketing Photography, San Francisco, Secrets of Great Portrait Photography, Sony, Sony Artisans of Imagery, World Photography Festival

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Secrets to Great Portrait Photography
Adorama Special Event: July 29th NYC

by Brian Smith on July 25, 2010

in Seminars & Speaking

My lecture this Thursday July 29th about the ‘Secrets of Great Portrait Photography’ at Adorama in New York City is nearly sold out, but I’m holding half a dozen seats for any of my blog or twitter followers. So if you’re can’t get in, let me know and I’ll try to get you in.

This is a new lecture with focus on all aspects of what it takes to create a great portrait, from concept to execution to post. Ways to give your portraits extra polish with production value that looks more expensive than it is. Emphasis will be placed on the ‘concepts of lighting’ that you can apply to your own work.

Hope to see you there…

Secrets to Great Portrait Photography

An Evening with Brian Smith
Thursday, July 29, 2010   5:30PM – 7:30PM
Price: $25.00
Registration deadline for this Special Event July 28, 2010

Each attendee will receive a $25.00 coupon at the Seminar in exchange for a copy of their registration receipt. The coupon will be valid for 30 days towards the purchase of any merchandise when presented at either Adorama’s retail store at 42 West 18th Street, New York, or for an online purchase at www.adorama.com

Event Description:

Great portraits capture the soul and spirit of your subject. This Special Event with celebrity portrait photographer Brian Smith will focus on ways of breaking down barriers and secrets of working quickly to capture the great portraits, whether you have minutes, hours, or days to get the shot. Brian will share the lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years as a top magazine portrait photographer capturing the faces of the famous, infamous and even the un-famous. He’ll break down the approach he uses on editorial, commercial and personal projects from concept to execution to post, on productions large and small. Simple choices in lighting can affect the mood of an image, so during this evening’s presentation, he will detail his problem-solving approach to lighting and how he customizes his lighting to a particular situation, using light to create bold iconic portraits on location. Brian will show you ways to remain fresh and passionate about your photography, and the evolutionary steps you can take to allow your personal style to evolve as you move your photography to the next level.

Special Event Sponsored by Adorama and Sony

Tagged as: Adorama, Brian Smith, Celebrity Portrait Photographer, Great portraits, magazine portrait photographer, New York, Secrets of Great Portrait Photography, Sony

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Emerge Photography Symposium – Miami Sept 10-12th

by Brian Smith on July 16, 2010

in Seminars & Speaking

I’ll be one of the speakers at the Emerge Symposium in Miami this September 10-12th at the fabulous Mayfair Hotel & Spa in Coconut Grove. I’m going to be speaking and working with participants all day Saturday, September 11th.

Emerge Photography Symposium is geared towards photographers who advance best through small group, hands-on collaborative learning.

This event provide learning channels via three components:
– Instruction lectures by award-winning industry professionals
– Intensive hands-on photo shoot sessions
– Round table critique discussions of your images

Emerge Photography Symposium provides value by way of intimate interaction and a personalized experience. Listen to the the stories and experiences of industry professionals. Learn about how they developed their careers and ask questions about key pieces of information they wish they knew when they were starting out, or advice on how you can improve your craft and techniques.

Let me repeat: There will be no large conference room hall. Brian Smith, Tony Yang and Norman Chow certainly will not have microphones. It’s personal. It’s about you, me, your future new friends, a wealth of knowledge, and an awesome weekend in Miami, FL.

Come with your brain ready to soak, a prepared trigger index finger and a laptop to show off your new skills.

Early-bird registration will close Friday, August, 6, 2010. Hurry! Save $150 if you register before July 30, 2010!!!

EMERGE – A Photography Symposium in Miami, FL (9/10-12/2010)

Tagged as: Brian Smith, Celebrity Portrait Photographer, Emerge Photography Symposium, Photography

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