Portraits that Prop~by Alex Smith

As a photographer, how many times have you had your portrait taken. There is nothing more uncomfortable and awkward than sitting in front of a camera trying to evoke a natural smile or a true, heart felt expression. Let’s be honest, the experience of having your portrait taken can be down right terrifying, yet we aspire to have our subjects pose and emote in an organic and subtle way that transcends and captures the embodiment of our subjects personality. Simple right?
The reality is that the camera makes our subjects self-conscious and hyper aware of their appearance, with an overall fear of not capturing a single image that meets their approval. I mean, how many of us truly look in the mirror each morning thinking, “Wow, I am looking fantastically, good today?” Most of the time, all we can see are the imperfections and bothersome nuances that melt away and stifle the perception of our own esthetic. So how does one capture a nice, natural portrait?
I have read many articles and blog posts concerning this topic. Many focus on trying to relax your subject either through gentle conversation and personal connection or simply by breaking out some wine as a medicament to treat the inhibitions created by the shoot. The truth is that there is no easy recipe to help overcome this problem. No matter whether you are shooting a model, family member, or even a close friend, the camera is still the giant 400 pound gorilla in the room that everyone knows is there regardless of any distractions. So what can we do?
Aside from normal social graces and pre-planning for the shoot, I have one simple method that surprisingly works almost every time. PROPS! It is amazing what magic can happen when you give your subject something else to interact with while you are shooting. Cuts right through some of those awkwardly, silent moments when both you and the subject know things are not working yet no one wants to admit it. Yes, we all experience these gratingly, uncomfortable situations.
So what kind of props am I talking about? All and any kinds. They can be silly, beautiful, interesting or even surprisingly strange. These can be fresh flowers, a costume, a masquerade mask, a piece of interesting fabric, a hat, a pet, a piece of fruit, sports equipment, a music instrument, a lawn mower, oven mitts, or even an original, mint in box, Darth Vader action figure from Star Wars. The reality is that any item that has some meaning to the subject or that they can relate to will work and don’t be afraid to go way outside the box into the realm of the disturbingly obscure or insanely cliche. It is amazing how a simple prop can break the ice and give the subject something with which to interact, allowing you to capture a few true emotive moments when they have forgotten about the camera, shed some of the self conscious inhibitions and helped you create a beautifully expressive portrait.


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Your Guide to the Paint Horse Breed

What is a paint horse? If you have ever seen one in person, then you are probably already aware of how lovely and exquisite these horses are. Paint horses get their special name because of the very unique gift that they carry- their coat and pattern. A paint horse is one which contains one of three known patterns- Overo, Tobiano or Tovero. The paint horse is marked by some percentage (great or small) of white hair over un-pigmented skin. The rest of the horse is covered in another color. This other color could be brown, tan, black or gray as well as a combination of any of these.
To fully understand the paint horse, you have to understand the markings and what they represent. This will help you identify different types of paint horses. The Overo pattern refers to a paint horse where the white markings do not happen between the withers and tail. An added characteristic is that one if not all of the horse's legs will be a solid color- brown, gray, back or tan. The markings on the face may be standard but most of the markings on the rest of the body will be irregular and scattered.
The Tobiano pattern is different, however. In this pattern, the markings and white spots are regular. Spots are often oval or round and all four of the legs are white. The tail will typically be two colors- white and dark.
The paint horses with the tovero color pattern have at least one blue eye but often both eyes will be blue. Where the white splashes of colors are located with the tovero pattern is not as important as the location of the dark color markings. The dark pigmentation will be around their mouth, ears and flanks. Dark spots can also be found around the base of the tail and on the chest or neck of the horse. However, the color pattern is not the only thing that distinguishes the paint horse from other breeds.
　
　
　
　
　
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http://www.painthorse.com/


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