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You probably saw in my past videos that I sometimes use smoke grenades in my photography. I made a couple of shots with different colors in one of my latest fitness shoots... I posted the behind-the-scenes last week if you missed that one, check it out. BTS – Fitness photoshoot with Smoke Grenades Feat. Ophélie Ferrand It took me some time to test these smoke grenades, but I think that I have gathered enough knowledge now and it is time for me to share it with you! So if you wish to use smoke grenades on your next shoot, whatever it is, please consider the following 5 tips. Some are direct answers to questions I have received over the past weeks! 1/ Safety first These things get hot, they stink, and when you fire them sparks randomly fly out! So be careful, pull the wire and keep the grenade away from your face, use gloves or if you don't have gloves hold it from one end or put the grenade on the floor. 2/ Plan ahead or rehearse You have only 30 to 90 seconds of smoke. Depending on the thickness you desire and coverage you even have less than that, so there is little to no room for improvisation. These little things in Europe cost from 5 to roughly 12 euros, depending on where you buy them and the type it can be more. So playing with these ain't cheap! You usually need for a few good shots 3 to 6 grenades and I do sometimes use up to 9 depending on the result I want to have. 3/ Use them outdoors or in open spaces In a forest, in an abandoned place, on a secluded island (if you have one)... If you plan on doing this in an urban setting, you have to get the proper authorization. In France, you must ask the local authorities for permission to use them in the city... Don't do this illegally if you don't want to get in trouble. Even if it's colored smoke, people around might think there is something wrong going on and will call the police... and trust me, you don't want that! Also, be sure to check the weather, you have to have little to no wind on your day of the shoot to make your shots. Dancer: Liza Riabinina Captured in Antibes ( France) Canon 5d mark III - 70-200mm F2.8L II 1/400s at f5.6 ISO200 - 70mm 4/ Camera settings Shallow depth of field or not? Shutter speed? This is up to you! I usually want details in the smoke so I use an F-stop above 5.6 and a shutter speed that isn't too slow. That suits my style in general, you have to test this for yourself to decide exactly what you like. Athlete: Ophélie Ferrand Captured in Toulouse ( France) Canon 5d mark III - 24 - 70mm F2.8L II 1/200s at f7.1 ISO100 - 44mm 5/ Focus before firing If possible, lock your focus before you let the smoke get in your shot. Because once the smoke is all around your model, your camera is going to struggle to find focus on your subject. For the picture down below I had to work handheld, so I used the AI SERVO mode of my camera to keep focus while she was moving. Athlete: Ornella Nicolosi Captured in Antibes ( France) Canon 5d mark III - 24 - 70mm F2.8L II 1/640s at f6.3 ISO250 - 44mm 6/ Flash or no Flash Did I say 5 tips? ok, let's add a 6th! You can use strobes to make that smoke pop and give it more texture. The technique is not revolutionary you just make sure that your smoke is trapped in between your strobes. Backlighting also works great! You can of course work in natural light but the effect and mood are not the same... so you are going to have to choose for yourself depending on what you wish to capture. Down below feat. Karita Tikka with only one Flash: ...and Here with 2 Strobes Athlete: Ophélie Ferrand Captured in Toulouse ( France) Canon 5d mark III - 24 - 70mm F2.8L II 1/200s at f7.1 ISO100 - 70mm Another Bonus tip? A ton of photographers have used smoke grenades in the past, and usually, I see models walking around holding the grenade in their hands waving it around. On the few images found on the web, the smoke was really thin or not covering a lot of the scene. If you wish to make epic photos if you wish to have thick smoke covering most of your frame, then here is how I do it: Use a wide-angle lens and lock your camera on a tripod. Think about your composition beforehand, place your model and choose the pose you wish to capture. Place your lights do a few test shots and once everything is set from pose to lighting lock your focus. Now, and only now use your smoke and take multiple shots... Have someone else manipulate the smoke grenade and have them move around to cover as much space as they can. Once you are done, once you nailed it, take all your files and open them inside Photoshop, choose the photo where the smoke is covering most of your scene and fill the empty spots with other pictures you took during your session. Of course, the idea is to get everything on camera with only one shot... But the chances for this to happen here are slim. For tighter portraits, it is, of course, easier. You will quickly see that you do not have control over your smoke and that it will almost do whatever it wants. The wider you will shoot the harder it will be for you to get it right in one picture... Athlete: Kevin Captured in Antibes ( France) Canon 5d mark III - 70 - 200mm F2.8L II 1/640s at f5.6 ISO320 - 200mm I insist, I really wanted to have that thickness, that coverage and that's one of the solutions I found to make it work. I've played with smoke machines in the past, with mixed results, I tried digital smoke ( BEHIND the scenes Woman basketball )and I will certainly test other methods and tools... but this will be the topic of a future video. Have you ever considered using colored smoke in your photography, and if you have already used them somehow, how did you do it? Tell me in the comments below!

Previously I've talked about the 85mm and how much I love it these days, I even talked about the combo 85mm and 35 mm... Do you need an 85mm lens? The 85mm f1.2L II & 35mm f1.4L II, the only Lenses you need? So it was about time for me to be a little more specific about the 35mm. We are talking 35mm on a full-frame body and more precisely the L version that can open at f1.4. It's a standard in the wide-angle lens family so I had to put my hands on it one day... it took me 6 years to actually have one in my hands long enough to test it and work with it. So let's not waste your precious time: 1/ it's a Versatile lens! You can use it for anything... From portrait to landscapes, it is of course, amazing in tight spaces and awesome in the wild. I used it for sports, for fitness shoots, and Gymnastics shots and It didn't disappoint. You can get right Into the action, close but not too close! Margot captured during a quick Bball shoot in Strasbourg 5d mark IV - 35mm F1.4L II 1/125 sec at f8 ISO200 2/ It's a secret to no one I love wide angles, and it's always nice to have more of the background included in your shot. You capture effectively your subject and its environment. This gives context especially when you stage your shots. If you are not a bokeh fanatic trying to compress and blur out your background in each one of your shots then this lens is for you. My buddy Lyria Van Moer 5d mark IV - 35mm F1.4L II 1/200sec at f6.3 ISO200 Behind the scenes: Test, fail, learn, repeat! The beautiful Claire Aves in London 5d mark IV - 35mm F1.4L II 1/640 sec at f3.5 ISO100 Behind the scenes: Prepare for the worst! This leads to number 3, this one is for all you beginners out there. I've talked about this before and you've probably heard it a thousand times the 50mm is close to what the human eye perceives. So the 35mm is not that far away... If you wish to make your first steps in the wide-angle game the 35mm is perfect. It doesn’t push the background too far from your main subject, and it delivers images with minimal distortion! The duo Lyria and Nhât 5d mark IV - 35mm F1.4L II 1/200 sec at f8 ISO250 Behind the scenes: Test, fail, learn, repeat! 4/ It’s a prime lens... and not any prime lens. The 35mm Mark II f1.4 focuses quite fast, it is not the heaviest in the L series and delivers awesome performances. At f1.4 this little beast can save your butt in low-light situations. 5/ This lens makes you think! Let me explain, you may find at times that the 50mm is too constricted, a 24mm might be a bit too much, especially if you are not used to it, and a little bit of experience is needed to cope with the closeness and the visible distortions that it gives. I think the 35mm gives you just that right additional step in and forces the interaction with your subject without invading your model's space. The fact that you can include more of the background in your shot will have you think a bit more about your compositions, how you will keep your shots balanced, how can you fill the frame. Then bendy Miranda Menzies 5d mark IV - 35mm F1.4L II 1/200 sec at f5.6 ISO320 Behind the scenes: How to photograph a circus artist… inside a gym! The also Bendy Emma Contorsionniste 5d mark IV - 35mm F1.4L II 1/125 sec at f8 ISO200 Behind the scenes: Inside the Villa Schutzenberger not another contortion photoshoot For unknown reasons, I stayed away from this lens for many years maybe because I have the 16 - 35mm and 24 - 70mm... And when looking back I noticed I was naturally stopping at around 35mm for a lot of my pictures. For some of these past shots, I would have loved having that option of opening beyond F2.8. And yes I got to admit if you look closely images are slightly better. So If I had to choose only one lens, If I had room for only one would it be the 35? Probably... What about you? Which prime lens is the most versatile one according to your work? Let me know!

My relationship with Bordeaux started in 2015, and each time the experience was a great one. The city, the people, the food, it's always a pleasure to be back in the city, especially when I know I will fantastic performer to work with. There are dozens of fantastic places I would love to use for my work but I've managed to access only a few of them so far. Darwin, la Base sous-marine, le Palais Gallien were some of the first places I had the joy to work in. Every time I return to a city I try to find new locations for my work. And my goal is to always surprise myself with the artists I work with and the people that follow my work. La cité du Vin is one of these places I never thought I would ever gain access to. The uniqueness of its architecture alone is worth a visit. My philosophy is: “if you never ask you will never know...” A few emails and calls later I was inside the museum creating with Soloist of the Ballet de Bordeaux Vanessa Feuillatte and multi-talented dancer Allegra Bird. I had a specific idea of what I wanted to do inside. At least one picture would fit in my series with flying fabrics. I don't often have the luxury to take my time on a specific picture and this session was no exception. I was accompanied by Coralie and Damien that morning, because how can I create these images without the perfect team? Choosing the right pose took a bit of time, we rehearsed a bit and of course, it took us some time to nail the pose and the right shape with the fabric. After a few fails, here are the 2 shots we managed to pull out that morning. 5Dmark III 1/100sec f2.8 ISO 500 16mm On the 2nd day, I met a long-time friend, one of the first performers I worked with in Bordeaux. Deborah aka Allegra Bird is always open to new ideas and has always trusted me in the past. So it was a no-brainer, I had to invite her to this unique session. We had a list of a variety of shots we wanted to make, and a little more time that morning. I've got to admit that she was particularly efficient that day. Again we had a little bit of help for a few shots. Injy Pina, was also there that morning and Maxime C. who was responsible for our presence in the building gave us a hand for a few shots too. Like always, we could have done more! How can you not be inspired in such a place? It will be hard to top this one-off, but this is what makes my job exciting. This journey is just starting, can't wait for the next one. Huge thanks to @Laciteduvin and @latitude20 for welcoming us, Thank you Maxime and Enguerran for trusting us. Huge props to our incredible performers Vanessa Feuillatte and Allegra Bird.

My name is Haze I am a photographer specializing in dance, sports, portraits anything involving a human being that can stay still or move... I've been shooting pole dancers regularly for the past 3 years and thought maybe I would share some helpful tips for you guys out there that might want to do the same. Shooting pole performers is fun because it has become more and more popular in the past years and is now almost over the cliché we all had about the discipline. Some of these performers have a background in contemporary dance, ballet, gymnastics, and even hip-hop... And you may have noticed it if you have watched some recent videos of shows and competitions where they all mix up different flavors and styles in their performances. I shared with you 5 tips on posing dancers a while back if you haven't seen that video, do it right now because it might help you for pole dancers too. Are you guys ready? Inform yourself on the level of your performer! A lot of inexperienced performers will try and make difficult poses and moves... they will ask you to catch it quickly because they won't be able to do it twice... and the only time they will manage to get up there, it will look like crap. If they are beginners, make simple poses with the pole, concentrate on the mood and attitude. Your chances to make good pictures will be greater. Preparation and rehearsal If you are shooting intermediate and/ or advanced performers, ask them to prepare mentally their session by choosing several poses they master in advance. I even ask them to practice their poses and moves before the shoot, and some of them bring a few pictures so that I can visualize what they wish to do. This will also help you place the pole and choose your compositions! Be realistic If your client asks for 20, 30 50 different pictures, poses, and moves on the pole... just say no... It's physically impossible. If you manage to get 10 different pictures it's awesome. Pro performers can do more but it's not common. Discuss the pose in advance place your lights, do your test shots before anyone gets on the pole. You can't ask your performer to get up there 20 times in a row. Make it short and only get into action when everything is in place and decided. Be creative One of the main drawbacks of shooting outside a studio (because yes we are talking shooting pole on location)... is the pole itself! It takes time to set up, it's heavy so you cannot move it around that much unless you have a lot of people helping out. So that's where you will have to put your imagination into play. use a wide variety of focal lengths. Shoot tight and shoot wide, get close, shoot from far away, shoot from above or below... This will help you get different pictures without moving your pole. Back in 2015 Tight shot of Sammy Lee in Strasbourg 5D mark III 1/8000 f1.8 ISO 100 at 85mm Autumn 2018 Magalie captured in Geneva 5D mark III 1/800 f5.6 ISO 160 at 85mm Kimmy captured in Milan 5D mark III 1/800 f5.6 ISO 160 at 24mm Summer 2016 Allegra Bird and Injy Pina in Bordeaux 5D mark III 1/200 f9 ISO 200 at 24mm Autumn 2018 Sophie Roth captured up close in Lausanne 5D mark III 1/500 f6.3 ISO 100 at 24mm Back in 2016, Vanessa captured in the distance in Nyons 5D mark III 1/200 f7.1 ISO 100 at 24mm The first Pole dancer I worked with back in 2015! Sammy Lee captured From above in Strasbourg 5D mark III 1/200 f14 ISO 125 at 30mm One of my favorite shot of 2018, Celine Vandesraiser captured in Lausanne 5D mark III 1/500 f6.3 ISO 100 at 24mm Spinning or Static? The pole can stay still or spin, it's up to you and the performer... The advantage of having it still is that if you want to place your artist in a specific place, position... it will be much easier if the pole doesn't spin. The only issue is sometimes your performer finds it easier to make their move when the pole is spinning, and of course to capture a realistic shot in motion the spinning pole is your best option. So if you are spinning don't improvise too much and know in advance basically when you are going to capture your shot. During this session at la base sous-marine de Bordeaux, I wanted to add a little bit of movement in the dress for a few shots. My camera was locked on my Tripod and we used 2 lights for this scene. One Broncolor SirosL on the left for my main light and another one on the right is used as a Rim/ Backlight. The static pole helped us concentrate on the light, pose, and movement of the dress! Cyd Sailor & Coralie captured in Bordeaux 5D mark III 1/200 f2.8 ISO 640 at 70mm Choose with the performer the best angles, lock your focus beforehand or shoot in Ai servo (I am a Canon shooter) and make sure your timing is right because you won't be able to do this a thousand times. I love details, I like precise compositions and placing things in specific places... head, hands, arms, and so on... WIth pole dancers, you will have to accept that you won't be able to have everything perfectly in place. Bonus! Depending on the weather and quality of light if you shoot outside, I will choose to work with natural light or with one strobe. When I am indoors like all my dance work I use at least one strobe. Racky Sow captured in Natural light Geneva 5D mark III 1/800 f5.6 ISO 160 at 50mm Early Autumn 2018, Caroline captured in Geneva Broncolor Siros L Camera right 5D mark III 1/8000 f1.8 ISO 100 at 85mm End of Summer 2018, Coralie & Cyd Sailor captured in Bordeaux 2 x Broncolor Siros L on both sides 5D mark III 1/200 f2.8 ISO 640 at 70mm So there you have it, 5 things to consider before stepping into your first pole dance photoshoot! If you have already worked with pole dancers feel free to share your experience in the comments section below.

I use Flash, natural light... and sometimes both! But it's obvious I chose flash over natural light Photography when you look at my Instagram feed ... But do you need flash to make better pictures? Disclaimer, the following statements are my personal choices, based on my tastes, my experience and the type of work and art I want to produce. It may not apply to your projects and of course, we all are different, there is no right or wrong way to do things. There are tons of videos on youtube, talking about how flash makes pictures look more professional, how you have to master flash photography to be a pro photographer, and this debate will never cease for whatever reasons. I believe this is bullshit, the best light you can get is free and it's out there. So why do I use Flash, why do I love them so much? For me, this can be summarized in one word... Control! I shoot on location, with horrible schedules, I sometimes have to work fast, and most importantly I have to work with the light I have. And most of the time (I must be out of luck), my light conditions are horrible. When working outside, you take the risk of having a flat lifeless light, with no shadows, no contrast... I hate that but what this happens, you have to learn how to deal with it. Dafné Lugui Barbosa (Toulouse) 5D mark IV 1/200 f2.8 ISO 50 at 70mm Lynne Hutchison (London) 5D mark IV 1/800 f4.5 ISO 800 at 85mm And sometimes, the magic happens, the weather can change very quickly and you can work with the light you wanted. You end up making awesome images that can sometimes be impossible to replicate with strobes. Dafne Lugui Barbosa (Toulouse) 5D mark IV 1/250 f3.5 ISO 125 at 70mm Check where the sun is, its direction, place your model and check on your model's face the shadows and see how they behave to choose your angle. if you are shooting during midday your light source will be high up in the sky, so be careful, if you want to avoid those dark eye sockets ask your model to slightly raise their chin. How I handle Natural light – Ballerina BTS video photoshoot Valentina Pierini (Rome) 5D mark III 1/320 f4.5 ISO 125 at 24mm Using the sun as your backlight is nice too, or place it slightly on the side to outline your model's body Valentina Pierini 5D mark III 1/320 f5 ISO 125 So ideally when I know I will only have my camera I try my best to use that soft beautiful light that you can get early morning or just before sunset. And as an extreme example and way of using creatively the sun as a Backlight, you can shoot against it and embrace the light flares in your lens. Valentina Pierini (Rome) 5D mark III 1/320 f4.5 ISO 125 Léa Roussel (Bordeaux) 5D mark III 1/200 f5 ISO 100 There are tons of photographers that have built their career on natural light photography, having a flash doesn't necessarily make your images look better. When the conditions are right, sometimes natural light is the best option. So when I do have a light or 2 in my bag, I know I can almost face any type of situation (almost... if it rains, or if you're facing a sandstorm, you won't be able to do anything). I've talked about this in the past, I love going after that dramatic, contrasted dark look. I started using strobes early on, and for me, it gives me more creative freedom. How to create dramatic pictures with 5 easy lighting setups If the light is flat and boring, your flash can help you make your image "pop". Sometimes slightly underexposing your background helps bring out a few details that could have been lost otherwise. Laura Viaud (Bordeaux) 5D mark III 1/200 f4.5 ISO 100 at 24mm Flash also helps me when I need to increase "background separation". You can achieve this by underexposing your background and of course, don't forget to expose your model correctly to balance your shot, or by backlighting your subject at the same time. Emma la tordue (Strasbourg) 5D mark III 1/200 f4 ISO 200 atb 24mm Inside the Villa Schutzenberger not another contortion photoshoot And of course, if you want to fill shadows, have an even exposure on your model in any conditions outdoor, If you want them to stand out, flash is always a cool tool to have : Anna Gueho (Bordeaux) 5D mark III 1/320 f4.5 ISO 200 at 24mm Flash also helps me a ton when I shoot indoors... Shooting in museums, churches, any location... is always a challenge. Knowing that I will have the possibility to manipulate my scene with light, or at least have a correct exposure for my model is reassuring. Flash is not always the best solution, but it gives you more options, more opportunities to create! In the following examples, you can see the difference. Poor light conditions, first shoot without flash Mercedes Flores (Toulouse) 5D mark III 1/320 f2.8 ISO 3200 at 24mm 2nd shoot with 2 strobes, 2 Brconolor Sios L placed camera left and right Bianca Chimes (Toulouse) 5D mark III 1/200 f3.2 ISO 100 It's really a matter of taste! And there are these times when you have the best of both worlds. Here I have my flash placed camera left to have a correct exposure on my dancer, and the sun setting is used as a backlight. Anjara Ballesteros (Antibes) 5D mark III 1/1000 f4 ISO 100 at 24mm Light is important... But whether it's natural or artificial, both can be used creatively to make amazing pictures! How do you work? What do you prefer? Flash, natural light? both? Tell me in the comments below... Do you want me to go a little more in-depth on how I use/ mix flash and natural light in my dance and sports portraits in future videos?

Maybe the setup I use the most and the one you can get the most effective results fast and I can say that it saved my ass in a lot of situations. What I mean by that is that I am a fan of hard light, I love playing with shadows, and being able to get this look in every situation for me is almost vital. So that's why I have this bad boy with me on almost all my shoots: the infamous broncolor SirosL 800ws! I've been using it with the Beautybox 65 and the 90 x 120 softbox for the past 3 years. 800ws sure is a lot of power, but you can achieve most of the looks I am going to show you with less powerful strobe, especially with all the portraits where you can actually bring your light closer to your model. So let's get started, your first light source will of course be, you guessed it: the sun... So the first thing I do is check where it is, the direction of the light it provides me, and the intensity. 1/ Something I've done early on, a few years back, and that I still do is to use the sun as my hair light or backlight. It all depends on where it is placed, and how high it is in the sky (choose the right time to shoot). You can use your model to block the sun for example (completely or partially), it will create a rim light and make your model stand out. Once your subject is placed, use your flash to expose your model correctly. Back in 2015, I was already using this technique. Priscilla Del Canto (Strasbourg) Make your test shots without your flash first, expose for your background and look at what the light does on your model's skin. Do you want a bright hard rim light? or something softer? It's all up to you, test it for yourself! 2/ Another nice way to use the sun is as a sidelight. It can outline your model's body, it can give more definition to an athlete's shape. Depending on the amount of shadows it also gives your shot a more dramatic look. The sun is behind my athlete camera right, and I simply placed my strobe on the opposite side camera left. Mathilde Andraud (Montpellier) On this portrait of this Fitness model, I did roughly the same thing. Jessica Radix (Lyon) 5d mark III 1/2500 F3.5 ISO 125 at 47mm And closer... 5d mark III 1/2000 F3.5 ISO 100 at 70mm 3/ You can of course switch, depending on what you wish to have control on. You can control your flash... but not the sun! In this shot of Marlène, my main light is the sun, and I used my flash as a backlight. Marlène Chameroy Marlène Chameroy 5d mark III 1/1000 F3.5 ISO 160 at 125mm 4/ Another way to apply this is to trap your model in a light sandwich! You have a light source on each side of your model. Your shadows will be placed in the middle, in between your lights. It's up to you to decide if you want to reduce or increase this effect. Ask your model to turn slightly towards the sun to reduce it (or towards your flash) or/ and change your light's placement. Laurena Giunipero (Antibes) 5d mark III 1/1600 F5 ISO 125 at 31mm 5d mark III 1/2500 F5 ISO 125 at 50mm So this is it if we summarize all this you will be working more than one light. If we look closely at all this it is a 2 light setup with only one flash... Jessica Radix (Lyon) 5d mark III 1/1600 F4.5 ISO 100 at 24mm Hope you learned a thing or two in this week's video, so tell me, How do you guys work outdoors?? Do you use a flash, two? or more?

I am a fan of centered composition because I believe it is an effective way to give your subject importance and an easy way to tell the viewer where the main focus is. I know a lot of people think it is easy to center a shot, some say it feels amateurish and avoid centering their subject at all cost... for no reason. The thing is, why have your subject off-centered if it's not justified? Every decision you make will have an impact. I've said it before, each shot must be thought out, and whatever your choice is, it must be motivated. You may not make the best decision, but at least, you are taking one. What is your story? What message do you want to convey, what are the different elements that compose your shot... what do you wish to capture and why? This raises a lot of questions that I personally try to answer before I release that shutter. I don't shoot and crop later, once the image is captured most of the work should be done unless the project needs some heavy compositing or digital enhancements. "Centered composition" has been an important part of my photography since I started working regularly with wide-angle lenses. They distort and warp your scene and of course, your subject. Unless this is something you are going after the only way to minimize this effect is to center your main focus. There is no Ambiguity here, even if your subject only represents a small portion of your shot we know they are the main focus. I personally love the impact and epic feel it gives to as scenes and poses. Eloïze Rignon - Musée des Augustins (Toulouse - France) 5D mark III + Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/250 f4 ISO100 at 16mm Lyria Van Moer - Palais des festivals (Cannes - France) 5D mark III + Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/1600 f9 ISO320 at 11mm From the Carlton Pontoon to the Palais des Festivals Usually, I do play a little bit with the distortion by shooting from the bottom up. When working with dancers, this gives them long legs and I just love that perspective. Lauren Kennedy (Toulouse) 5D mark III + Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/1000 f5 ISO200 at 16mm Another reason to center your subject is symmetry. I love Wes Anderson, if you don't know who this amazing film director is, shame on you. My work has nothing in common with his in terms of aesthetics but we do share that love of symmetry and centered shots. Tatiana Van Onna - W hôtel (Amsterdam) 5D mak III 1/500 f5 ISO100 at 41mm It doesn't have to be perfect, symmetry can be induced by only a few common elements on the right and left sides of your shot. Casey Wood - Capitole (Toulouse - France) 5D mark III + Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/250 f2.8 ISO320 at 16mm Back on youtube! 14 artists, 9 iconic locations in Toulouse Behind the scenes Alice Fougeray - Nice (France) 5D mark III + Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/200 f5.6 ISO250 at 16mm Centering your subject helps to increase a feeling of Isolation... Of course, you have to make sure nobody enters your shot : Charlotte le May - Cité de l'Espace (Toulouse - France) 5D Mark III + Broncolor Siros L (800ws) 1/80 f2.8 ISO320 at 16mm Another way to make a strong centered composition shot is to use leading lines. Nhât Nam Lê - Pavillon Joséphine (Strasbourg - France) 5D mark III 1/60 f2.8 ISO320 at 26mm Nhât Nam Lê - Bibliothêque André Malraux (Strasbourg - France) 5D mark III 1/640 f3.2 ISO100 at 50mm It also works amazingly when using frames or a frame within a frame, Emma El Achkar (Strasbourg - France) 5D mark III + Broncolor SirosL (800ws) 1/4000 f7.1 ISO400 at 200mm And sometimes simple elements in your scene just beg for you to center your shot : Gillian Leopold Eilen Roc (Antibes - France) 5D mark III - Broncolor SirosL (800Ws) 1/400 f5 ISO400 at 11mm A Rhythmic Gymnastics photoshoot inside EilenRoc Of course, you may have noticed that I used a lot of wide angles in all the examples above. I often fill my frame and play with the background and environment to compose my shots. When photographing a busy scene with a lot of elements, I tend to simplify the pose and do my best to guide the viewer towards my main subject, and centering sometimes is my best option. Basically, think twice before using the rule of thirds, the golden ratio, or whatever composing techniques out there. If you don't balance your shot, having your subject off-centered won't make it work, and it certainly won't make your photo more interesting. So compose wisely, and not randomly, and stop applying stupidly a few rules you learned on the web. What about you, do you center your subjects? No? Why? Tell me in the comments below.

The Canon EOS R why all the hate? I've read a lot of negative reviews of the EOS R. Many YouTubers / Photographers have dissected this camera, talked about the specs, and how they were disappointed about this camera. The only positive reviews have seen so far are from pro photographers who are somehow affiliated to canon, some are official ambassadors so it's a bit hard to listen to what they have to say about the camera when you know they are a part of the family. Before we go any further, I am not a Canon ambassador, I am not paid to say what I am about to say, and I got this camera on loan from Canon for 2 weeks. Now that you have the info you are free to continue to read this article or not. The only way to know if a camera is any good... is to test it. I know it's not easy, I personally go to conventions, official launch parties at my local camera store or ask my rich friends if they can borrow me some gear. We are all different, our needs are different, I don't think there is a camera out there that would satisfy all types of photographers. 2 weeks, with the EOS R and the 24 105 f4 RF L lens... unfortunately I didn't have a ton of photoshoots, but I had a couple and I took the risk (or not) to have this camera, and this camera only on 4 different shoots in 4 different locations. I will not talk about the video quality of the EOS R, 1.8 times crop in 4K and No 1080p at 120 fps is enough for me to not consider it as a serious video camera. So let's dive into this, coming from a 5D Mark III and IV I feel at home. The menus are pretty much the same there is nothing more to say... I love Canon menus, they are easy to understand. Things have changed on the top, some buttons and dials have disappeared. In the back no joystick, and a new touch bar that I deactivated. Canon wants to give its customers a customizable camera, I understand, that's cool, but in two weeks I didn't have time to really dive into this. I mainly use the joystick for focusing on my Mark III so I was a bit disoriented at first. But then using the touch screen instead is pretty intuitive and you quickly get used to it. The camera body is not too small, I just hate how close the buttons are to one another... I have to admit muscle memory wasn't in my favor here, I accidentally touched the video record button up a few times because it is now on the top panel. It took me half a day to get used to the electronic viewfinder. It is nice and detailed, your eye can stay glued to the viewfinder because a lot of information is available there. Another little thing that bothered me in use is the sensor below the viewfinder. If anything goes in front of it... like your hands. When it thinks you are actually looking inside the viewfinder the screen goes black. Not great when you wish to review your photos, I accidentally had my hands in front of that sensor a few times and got that annoying black screen from time to time. What about that tilting screen? My back is happy about it, I do not have to bend down, or lay like a carpet on the floor to compose my low-angle shots and that's a good thing... for me. Alanna Baker (Toulouse - La Cartoucherie) Canon EOS R + RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM 1/200sec f4 ISO250 - 24mm Allegra Bird (Bordeaux - Château Pape Clément) Canon EOS R + RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM 1/200sec f4 ISO400 - 35mm But what about the Images? Alexandra Vadon (Toulouse - Hôtel Le Grand Balcon) Canon EOS R + RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM 1/80sec f4 ISO400 - 53mm They are great, colors, depth nothing new here, If you have worked with the Canon 5D Mark IV, I don't think there are any differences. Dynamic range, no improvement for me there either, but I am not a pixel peeper. I love the image of the 5D Mark IV so I was also pleased with the image the EOS R produces. 30.3 megapixels is more than enough for the type of work I produce, and that is really all I can say about the image. So my question is simple what is Revolutionary here? Alexandra Vadon (Toulouse - Hôtel Le Grand Balcon) Canon EOS R + adaptor + EF 50mm f1.4 1/160sec f1.8 ISO1250 - 53mm I am a dance, sports, portrait photographer... A single card slot, is not a deal-breaker, because on important big shoots I will work tethered. But, I used to cover live events, and the 8 fps isn't great if you are a sports photographer and if you use continuous autofocus, I have some bad news for you, it drops down to 5 fps. I don't do a lot of live events anymore, and when I do, and if I need a higher frame rate in burst mode, I will turn to the 1DX. What about the praised AutoFocus? The focus and AutoFocus are great, snappy, and responsive, having all these focus points for me is really something I enjoyed, combined with the tilting touchscreen and I was able to frame a lot of low-angle shots faster and with ease. The ee detector is accurate, I will give it a 7 out of 10. It was hunting from time to time, depending on the lighting conditions of my scene. Like I said earlier, I didn't test the AutoFocus in video mode even though this video was filmed with the EOS R and cannot say much about it. But you can see that it sometimes struggles to find me in the frame... Maybe If I have it again I will concentrate more on the video capabilities. I cannot say anything positive about the size and weight of this camera, with the adapter and the up & coming R lenses that are bulky and heavy, I believe we didn't really gain much there, and earlier in this article, I mentioned how weird it was for me to get accustomed to the closeness of some of the buttons. Marina Kudryashova (Bordeaux - Marché de Lerme) Canon EOS R + RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM 1/200sec f4.5 ISO160 - 24mm So Would I consider owning this camera? I don't know... there are a few things I do love, the autofocus combined with the tilting touch screen are the first things that come to my mind... but this means an overall body that is maybe less robust, and of course not weather sealed at all. My EF lenses with the adaptor worked great on the EOS R, so that is a good thing. The image produced by this camera are lovely, and I could definitely use it on my paid gigs. But I don't think I would consider it as my main camera. This sits in between the 6d mark II and the 5D Mark IV, it is not a mirrorless version of one of these 2 cameras. I don't think it is really aiming at professional shooters, so I do understand why people cringe when looking at the price tag. But then in Canon's defense, because it's sitting between the 6D and 5D at 25OO euros in France (body and adaptor), the price makes sense. To sum it up, there is one thing that for me is the true revolution here, it is not the camera, It is the new mount. The upcoming R lenses are really the things I am curious to see from Canon. They perform amazingly. I had only for a couple of hours a few weeks back the 50 RF lens F1.2L ... and it is an amazing piece of glass. The 24 - 105 isn't fast enough for me at F4, but it performs pretty well too. but I will develop my thoughts on this lens in a future video. So basically I am waiting for a higher-end version of this EOS R... Dual card slot, higher burst rate, no crop in 4K video, and 120fps in 1080p minimum. I cannot believe Canon hasn't got something better coming for us next year. The Olympic games are coming, and huge announcements are usually made by Canon before them so fingers crossed. If you own this camera what are your thoughts? If you don't have it would you consider buying it? Professionally?

This year I tried to summarize 2018 in a video of 120 seconds... Not everything made it in the final cut of course, and it was really hard for me to include all the footage that really represents this year's work.... but guess what, I am quite satisfied with the result! It's that time of the year when you look back on what you have accomplished... The good, the bad, the sad, the fun, you failed, you learn, and you hope to start 2019 stronger than ever. Take some time to reflect... If you are an Instagram user, and if you follow anyone there, you may have seen a flood of pictures showcasing people's #best9 ... Basically, it's 9 of your most popular photos "loved" by your followers on your profile. Like last year, I do not always agree on the ones that are considered "the best"... Instagram is still a platform where you have little control over the popularity of your photos. Depending on the time you post your picture, the content itself, the hashtags, and so on... it's hard to predict I well a post is going to perform. Most of the time a picture I love will perform poorly, and the ones I like a little less sometimes give me incredible numbers. What is considered a great photo? For who? A lot of my favorite ones are also the ones that have a great story behind them... so it's really personal! Down below is your top 9 according to Instagram, and just after it, the 9 pictures I personally love for... personal reasons. 1/ Anna Romanova & Ricardo Macedo - Lyon, Palais de la Bourse You know what? I won't say much about this photoshoot because the behind-the-scenes is on the way! 2/ Anna Romanova - Lyon, Palais de la Bourse I am really glad this one made it in the top 9, It's my last post of 2018 on my Instagram, and it's also the only photo I added to my personal top 9. More on this picture a little further down. 3/ Anna Gueho - Bordeaux, Miroir d'eau I kind of have a love affair with Bordeaux... I will surely be back there in 2019! Do you need a flash to make better pictures? 4/ Hélène Bernadou - Pessac, Château Pape Clément Do you wish to see more from this session? Look no further, just click here: A dance photo shoot at the Château Pape Clément! 5/ Dafne Luigi Barbosa - Toulouse, Japanese garden This is maybe a perfect example of what I will be doing less next year! Although I love the simplicity of the shot, it doesn't match and satisfy my creative needs anymore... Do you need a flash to make better pictures? 6/ Anna Gueho - Bordeaux, Place de la Bourse The importance of light! I will never say this too much... Great light makes great photos: Do you need a flash to make better pictures? 7/ Anna Romanova & Ricardo Macedo - Lyon, Palais de la Bourse I said it earlier in this article, the behind the scenes will be out soon... 8/ Dafne Lugui Barbosa - Toulouse You really seem to like Dafne... and I cannot blame you for that! Do you need a flash to make better pictures? 9/ Hélène Bernadou - Pessac, Château Pâpe Clément This session with Hélène was one of my personal favorite of the year, what do you think? A dance photo shoot at the Château Pape Clément! So now that Instagram has spoken, what about me? 1/ Anna Romanova - Lyon, Palais de la Bourse This is also the 2nd most loved picture on my Instagram, and it was posted less than 24h before I posted this article. For a long list of reasons, I am so happy I have met such an incredible dancer. There are people out there that are easy to work with, and she is one of them... and I haven't met many. I love a lot of the pictures we made together but I chose this one because it was the last of our photoshoot and we nailed it twice with only a few tries. Yes, I said twice, because as you can see, on Instagram I posted the 2 and asked you guys which one you preferred! 2/ Allegra Bird - Pessac, Château Pâpe Clément It's odd... not odd "weird" but odd compared to the pictures I am used to making. During this private session with Allegra, she reminded me of this idea she already suggested to me a few months back. We just needed the perfect setting to make it... and there it is: 3/ Alanna Baker - Toulouse, La Halle de la Cartoucherie Life is unpredictable, I contacted Alanna for an eventual Uk tour that got canceled right away. A few messages later, she tells me that she is on tour and that we will be in the same city for a few days! Improvised fun was on the way, you can see some of the pictures we made together in this article where I review the Canon EOS R and the 24 - 105mm F4L lens: The RF 24 – 105mm and the CANON EOS R, the kit that does it all? 4/ Joséphine Meunier - Musée d'art Contemporain de Lyon I started slowly but surely to work with contemporary dancers. I was afraid for many years to work more with these dancers because of the way I work. I like details, lines, forms and shapes, precise compositions which is very restrictive for dancers that love to move freely during a shoot. But then I thought to myself that this was no different than the work I used to do during dance battles and live performances... Maybe I can find a way to adapt my approach, and at the same time give the dancer and myself a little more freedom, a little bit of chaos... I cannot say we achieved this during this photoshoot, but this will be one of my many goals in 2019. Another little thing I would like to mention... "3D"... or how to give more depth to a picture... Another thing on my "to-do list" of 2019! 5/ Laura Viaud - Bordeaux One thing I believe I failed in this year, was to pursue my work with circus performers. The past few years I've met fearless performers that still give me chills when I look at what we achieved together. The ones that make me hold my breath before I release the shutter. We played it safe this year so I guess we will have to take more risks next year! 6/ Vanessa Feuillatte - Bordeaux, La cité du vin Another favorite of this year, with the one and only Vanessa Feuillatte. I love working with her, she is really fun to hang around with. I will still do my best to work in unique, original places next year, what did you think of this one? Inspiring places, la cité du vin (Bordeaux) 7/ Manon Lys, Dafne Lugui Barbosa, Virginie Baïet Dartigalongue, Martin Arroyos and Nicolas Rombaut - Capitole de Toulouse A lot of people have asked me recently if I ever do group shots... Yes, and I would like to do more in 2019! 8/ Ophélie Ferrand - Toulouse, La Halle de la Cartoucherie My favorite color is red (have you noticed? ) I love to play with colored smoke, and I want to take my fitness photography to the next level... Are you ready? BTS – Fitness photoshoot with Smoke Grenades Feat. Ophélie Ferrand 9/ Katarina Ristic - Le Havre This composite is far from being perfect, there are already a few details that bother me but... It is a start, and I've learned to not be ashamed of where I come from. Sports should be present a bit more in my work next year, so I will have a few occasions to improve my skills. Behind the scenes woman basketball photoshoot So that's it, what a year! I am happy with the way it turned out although it was far from being a perfect year. Let me wish you all a fantastic end of the year and the very best for the coming one. “Your success and happiness lie in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” - Helen Keller -

Freezing motion is relatively easy... Showing the details of what the eye cannot see in a split second is rather cool, and maybe the most exciting part of capturing moving subjects. I often work with performers so I am used to capturing movement, the idea here is to show you how to get great results by following a few basic rules. So I assume you are shooting in manual mode! Basically, there are 2 ways of freezing motion, with your shutter speed or your flash. 1/ When shooting outdoors, with the sun as your main light or in an environment with lots of light, your shutter speed will be the main ingredient to freeze your subject. I usually start at around 1/500s, keep my ISO as low as possible and start at a F-stop around 5.6. Lynne Karina Hutchinson (London) 5D Mark IV - 35mm f1.4L II 1/500 F5.6 ISO 1000 - 35mm Injy Pina and Allegra (La cité du vin - Bordeaux) 5D mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/800 F7.1 ISO 160 - 50mm Inspiring places, la cité du vin (Bordeaux) If you are using a flash using the HyperSync or High-Speed Sync mode of your flash to go beyond the 1/200 or 1/250 sync limit... If you don't know what HSS or HS is: HS and HSS explained : Learn HS and HSS Hypersync (Broncolor) : https://news.broncolor.swiss/tutorials/hypersync-easily-explained-by-fabio-gloor-part-1/ https://news.broncolor.swiss/tutorials/hypersync-easily-explained-by-fabio-gloor-part-2/ Mohana Rapin (Jardin Botanique de Genève) 5D mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/500 F6.3 ISO 250 - 24mm Gillian Leopold (EIlen Roc - Antibes) 5D mark III - 11-24mm f4L 1/2000 F4.5 ISO 500 - 15mm A Rhythmic Gymnastics photoshoot inside EilenRoc Alizee Agier (Antibes) 5D mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/2500 F8 ISO 400 - 61mm Karate photoshoot with Alizee Agier I believe that going under 1/500s might not be enough to freeze movement. Depending on how fast your model moves, going above 1.500s will increase your chances of having a sharp image. Your ISO and aperture will depend on your tastes. For example, if you wish to have a better background separation, simply use a low f stop but remember, you are working with a moving subject. Using a narrow depth of field makes it harder to nail focus. If you are shooting indoors or at dusk and you don't have a lot of light, don't be afraid to increase your ISO. Having a high shutter speed will decrease the amount of light touching your sensor. I sometimes go up to ISO 3200 to compensate. Mercedes Flores (Dome de la Grave - Toulouse) 5D Mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/320 F2.8 ISO 3200 - 24mm Never give up! Dance/ Gymnastics/ Circus Behind the scenes 2/ When using your flash to freeze movement, keep your shutter speed at 1/200s or lower and let your flash do the job. The brief burst of light, the short flash duration, will be enough to freeze the action! So now we are o longer in HS or HSS mode, we rely on the short burst of light to capture movement. Let's make it simple, how does your camera capture an image? Your shutter opens and closes, and while it's open, your sensor captures light and creates your image. I work with Broncolor lights, and when I use the "Speed" mode that enables short flash durations (check your gear to see how you can achieve this), the flash can be as short as 1/19000s! This means that if your camera is set at 1/200s after your flash has fired your shutter will still be open for a brief moment and it will continue to capture your photo and whatever is going on in front of your camera. So your success will depend on the available light. If the location you are working in is dark, if it is poorly lit, you will have great results. If there is a bit of light around, coming from any light source you might have motion blur in your image. So The decision is up to you, are you willing to keep these blurry parts in your shots? Here, by killing the ambient light, I manage to have the right balance to better freeze the action. Cyd Sailor (Base Sous marine - Bordeaux) 5D Mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/200 F2.8 ISO 640 - 70mm An introduction to Pole dance Photography Anna Romanova (Palais de la bourse de Lyon) 5D mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/200 F8 ISO 800 - 24mm The Benefits of Shooting Tethered – Dance photoshoot behind the scenes Don't forget to play with your f stop and ISO to correctly expose and balance your shot. Célie Juston (Grenoble) 5D mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/500 F4.5 ISO 320 - 33mm I said earlier that under 1/500 might give you blurry results... I tried a few times and depending on the amount of light you let in you, and on how fast your subject moves, you can still get great results with a slower shutter speed. Here during the day with flash Candice Dupont (Toulon) 5D mark III - 16-35mm f2.8L II 1/200 F5.6 ISO 100 - 16mm Without flash Valentina Pierini (Rome) 5D Mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/320 F4.5 ISO 125 - 24mm How I handle Natural light – Ballerina BTS video photoshoot Indoors with flash Anna & Ricardo (Palais de la bourse de Lyon) 5D Mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/200 F8 ISO 800 - 24mm The Benefits of Shooting Tethered – Dance photoshoot behind the scenes And here all the shots used for this sequence were shot at 1/200s! Katarina Stosic (Le Havre) 5D Mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/200 F7.1 ISO 320 - 38mm The Sequence shot, Handball photoshoot Letting motion blur in your shot is not a bad thing... I sometimes play with it, like in this shot where I didn't want the ball to be tack sharp. Gautier Fayolle (St denis) 5D mark III - 24-70mm f2.8L II 1/200 F5.6 ISO 160 - 45mm The freestyle football experience I said it before Aperture is an important element you cannot overlook. Outside having motion blur or not, you want a focused image. So using a high f stop will ensure a focused photo... I still use 2 simple techniques to focus on my subject: A/ I decide where I want to catch my subject and set focus before the action. This demands a precise execution for both the photographer and the performer. I usually do this when I have a specific composition in mind, and when I work on a tripod. B/ I use AI servo and follow my performer and blindly rely on the continuous autofocus of my camera. So when do you use Flash, when do you use your shutter speed to freeze motion? Only you can answer this question. I choose the shutter speed often over my flash when shooting outdoors and use my flash when I work indoors. But this is not systematic as every situation is unique and different. Know exactly what you want to do, with or without flash, with a bit of motion blur, a lot or without, with a shallow or wide depth of field, and so on... Then experiment, try, fail and repeat! You will find your style and feel comfortable with time. Have fun building your own creative tools!

This is not a new subject, it is just delivered differently. A few weeks back I talked about how taking some time to reflect would benefit your work (video further down below). I am taking this another step further, just stop taking photos and do something else for a few days. Social media pushes us to create more and more constantly, and for those of you who make a living out of content creation, we can quickly be overwhelmed and buried under work. This isn't good for your health physically and mentally and will, of course, harm your work, your art in the long run. Yes, this will happen sooner or later, you will have a lot of work coming in, and this is a good thing for your business. But working too much, always being out there taking pictures and this for a long period of time can potentially harm your photography. Yes, sometimes putting your camera away can be good a good thing! Think about it, working too much prevents you from seeing the whole picture, having your nose to the grindstone is an obstacle for change and evolution. Working too much, shooting, too much will result in accumulating stress and fatigue... Working when you are tired is never a good thing, you won't be able to think straight, and with time you will make mistakes, maybe make bad decisions, make crappy images, that can potentially harm your business. Usually, the inspiration for me comes when I have some time off. When I am away from photography. While watching movies, live performances, concerts, going to museums, or just walking in the forest...to be inspired, you got to take some time for it. It will also boost your creativity and I believe it is vital for your work. Whenever you can, take some vacation, go abroad, meet new people, new cultures, see how people think differently and have a different perspective on things. This will also help you recharge your batteries to come back stronger, fresher, with a different perspective on life and new motivations. Photography is a solitary activity, you spend most of your time alone, looking for new clients, scouting for new places, sketching ideas, and all of these long hours of retouching and editing. Interacting with the world is important as a human being... interacting with real people and not just online. Why? To have a social life, to make new friends, to have a laugh... one of the main ingredients for Happiness! Live a balanced life, and spend some time with your loved ones, they need you, you need them... You will see things differently, you will manage your difficulties, and stress better. Trust me, you will feel better and it will also show and have an impact on your work in the long run. Taking some time away from your camera will make you love coming back to it and boost your passion for photography, plus it will give you some time to step back and reflect on your own work. If you really can't somehow... start by Slowing down When you do too many things at once, if you work too much you will allow yourself less time for preparation, scouting, developing ideas, and you will inevitably rush things, and this will lead to sloppy work. When you are out of time, you rely on reflexes, which might lead you on doing the same things over and over. I've been there recently. At the end of last year, I had a lot of work, unfortunately, I had to rush things. I decided to stay in my comfort zone, recycled the same ideas, and used the same compositions and approach on a lot of images I created. They are not bad, but they add nothing new to my work. Time... time is valuable, time is necessary, for example, when editing pictures, when you're retouching. I sometimes need a night of sleep to look at the work I've done the next day with a fresh eye. And often I realize a few minor mistakes, forgot a few details, or went a bit too far on contrast and colors. Maybe because my eyes were tired, or I edited too many images at once. So if you kind of feel lost, if you are looking at your camera and don't have a clue about what you can do next or feel a bit depressed because of your lack of creativity recently. Take some time off... or slow it down. I took some time off during Christmas, I am taking some time for myself right now and will only take new projects at the end of this month. I should even take some time away from YouTube! I really wonder how all these YouTubers make 3/4/5 videos a week... Do they have a family? Friends? Do you sometimes go out without your camera? Can you spend a week without taking pictures? How was it? Tell us in the comments below! Enjoy your deserved break, see you in the next post.