From advertising to editorial, Michael Grecco’s work is continually raising the photographic bar. He is known for dynamic portraiture and capturing the essence of his subjects. Grecco works with an unrivaled technical ability and a rare sensitivity. The image he has created for himself is authentic, composed and always striking.

You can read a fascinating article by Michael Grecco here:

Lighting and the Dramatic Portrait by Michael Grecco

I’ve bought his book, but I haven’t had chance to read it yet.

This guy breaks all the rules, he does crazy things you aren’t supposed to do with light, he doesn’t produce well exposed sharp images. He produces edgy art, images that show the essence of the person.

He also teaches you how to deal with people, great portraits are not taken - they are GIVEN.

You can find his site here:

Michael Grecco

We love to shoot beautiful women… many of us were inspired to take up the art when we first saw how gorgeous photos turned out when the subjects were attractive women. Is there a specific technique? Well, having shot many models in the past, let me share a bit some of the tips off the top of my head.

1) Keep a scrapbook of poses/stances handy
2) Try not to point the fingers to the camera
3) Watch the background and ensure nothing sticks out of or cuts through the back of her head/neck
4) Remind your model to watch her posture
5) Try not to pose the models in awkward positions
6) Keep the light soft (window light or under the shade). Overhead light is not good. Direct sunlight will cause her to squint.
7) Use a reflector (car shade will do) to balance out the shadows under the nose/chin. This reflector is also good to create a small reflection in the eye called the catchlight
Talk to the model to form a rapport and ensure that she remains relaxed
9) Leaning hard against the wrists/shoulders will create unsightly bone jutting situations
10) For make-up, heavier and contrastier make up can make the person look better
11) Ensure that the hair is controlled… watch for baby hair and stray strands
12) Mop up the sweat and always do touch ups to also allow the model to have a bit of rest
13) Model must have enough sleep the night before
14) Keep the clothes and accessories simple
15) Watch where your photo crops off the model’s features like forehead, elbow, bustline etc

Some examples…

People shooting is very challenging especially when the person is aware that he or she is being photographed. That said, it is important for the photog to have good rapport with the subject before the start of the shoot. If the subject is a stranger, please try to obtain permission and spark a conversation with him. You will find that the subject is more willing and relaxed if you took the effort to understand his background. Also try to present him as a fellow human being worthy of your respect. Eye contact is important especially since the eyes are the windows to the soul.

This gentleman, I met him at an old Hindu temple in Sentul. I had approached him as I felt his wizened visage held a ton of memories and them eyes had seen better days. I was indeed sympathetic when I saw his abode and I offered him a little money after taking his photographs (of course with permission).

You will notice that I converted the photos to monochrome. I shall elaborate on my conversion process in future but I chose to relay the scene in mono simply because I wanted to enhance the atmosphere.

While I had taken many shots, my favourite one was this particular one where I managed to eke out a little hint of smile from his otherwise melancholic features. I would have preferred the portrait format but nevertheless, I felt that it did not diminish the effect of the shot.

P/S In relation to the comment made by Wong below…

My subsequent shots of him in the ‘correct’ portrait format did not hold that precious smile…