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Glamour Photography

Semenjak dua ni, semakin tertarik dengan dunia fotografi glamour. Disini sedikit info untuk dikongsi bersama yang diambil, salin dan cetak bulat-bulat dari web ini: http://www.mandarichmodels.com/galleries/glamour-gallery

What Is Glam­our Photography?

When you were a kid, do you remem­ber play­ing dress-up?  You strut­ted in too-big-for-your-feet heels, sported your mother’s cos­met­ics, and styled your hair in a man­ner that emu­lated mag­a­zine cov­ers.  You walked around the house as if you owned it.  You felt like a super­star!  Your inner con­fi­dence shone through as a kid.  When was the last time you had that feel­ing?  Do you recall the emo­tion of being con­fi­dent and allow­ing your inner celebrity to shine through?  Alter­na­tively, what about ded­i­cat­ing a full day to escape life’s stresses, con­cen­trate on you, release your inner pop star and lib­er­ate your self-empowerment glow?  Why have you waited so long to retrieve these moments of self-worth?  It is time to evoke those emo­tions, and cap­ture it on film through glam­our photography

His­tory of Glam­our Photography

Glam­our pho­tog­ra­phy started in the early 1920s.  It was mainly reserved for celebri­ties.   When these pic­tures were pub­lished, it would arouse curios­ity and ado­ra­tion from fans.  Then, when pin-up mod­els were the rage, it changed.  Glam­our pho­tog­ra­phy focused on the sen­sual side.  Pin-up mod­els revealed much more skin.  Some mod­els posed in par­tial or full nudity, tak­ing glam­our pho­tog­ra­phy into a dif­fer­ent direc­tion completely.

With the arrival of Play­boy, glam­our pho­tog­ra­phy took off.  Play­boy was the cat­a­pult of glam­our pho­tog­ra­phy.  It exhib­ited a sen­sual, play­ful side, entic­ing the viewer, leav­ing the per­son yearn­ing to see more.  It teased the reader with­out reveal­ing too much.  Today, men’s mag­a­zines, such as Maxim and GQ have per­fected glam­our pho­tog­ra­phy.  Their images define mod­ern day glam­our pho­tos.  You see images per­son­i­fy­ing old pin-up style pho­tographs or in var­i­ous set­tings with a sex­ual twist.  For instance, there is an infa­mous photo spread of cook­ing tele­vi­sion per­son­al­ity Rachel Ray in Maxim Mag­a­zine.  In one of the pho­tos, Rachel Ray is in a kitchen set­ting, scant­ily dressed lick­ing frost­ing off a spat­ula.   She was extremely play­ful with the pho­tographs.  She is not a super­model. She is not overt in sex­u­al­ity, yet, in this pho­to­graph, she is proof that the girl next door oozes sex­i­ness too!

Top 3 Ele­ments Defin­ing a Suc­cess­ful Glam­our Pho­to­graph: Pose, Styling and Photographer

Pos­ing is Key to a Sexy Look
Regard­ing pos­ing, look at other images you wish to emu­late.  Flip through some pop­u­lar men’s mag­a­zines.  Think about what pose would accen­tu­ate your body the best.   An expe­ri­enced glam­our pho­tog­ra­pher will be able to assist you before­hand in decid­ing what poses would be most suit­able for you, your per­son­al­ity, and the achieve­ment of the over­all results.  Con­sider what would reflect your per­son­al­ity the most.  As I men­tioned above, the Rachel Ray shoot for Maximamuses read­ers with a kitchen set­ting, for she is a chef.  Thus, think along these lines.  Con­sider what aspect of your life you would like to include in the photo shoot.  What are your hob­bies?  What would make the right state­ment for you?

Styling Brings the Vision to Life
When con­cep­tu­al­iz­ing the photo ses­sion, dis­cuss with styling with your pho­tog­ra­pher.  Find out what hair­styles, make-up tech­niques, and wardrobe choices are appro­pri­ate for the look you want.  Review exam­ples of the make-up artist’s work.  Take a glance through the wardrobe consultant’s ideas.  A pro­fes­sional, suc­cess­ful glam­our pho­tog­ra­pher would be able to lis­ten to you, and project the type of image you wish to achieve and relay this effec­tively to the pro­fes­sional make-up artist and wardrobe con­sul­tant.  The pho­tog­ra­pher will be able to make the look cohe­sive ensur­ing every­one is on the same page.

Fur­ther­more, think about what emo­tions the over­all pic­ture por­trays.  For exam­ple, if you are going for some­thing soft, and sen­sual, then the make-up should appear translu­cent, the hair would be wavy and tou­sled, and the cloth­ing soft and flow­ing.  Noth­ing rigid or extreme styled for this type of photo.  How­ever, if you are going for a Var­gas pin-up inspired pho­to­graph, red lips would pop, hair would be in a fin­ger wave, and the styling would be very high, plat­form heels reflect­ing that time frame.  The clothes were nor­mally 2 pieces with lots of leg show­ing.   Search online for Var­gas pin-ups and you will see what types of styles he used in his images.

Glam­our Pho­tog­ra­pher brings it All Together

A glam­our pho­tog­ra­pher brings your vision to life.  He/she is able to inter­pret what you are try­ing to achieve and coor­di­nate the image with all the par­ties involved.  Thus, the pho­tog­ra­pher you choose needs to be able to com­mu­ni­cate effec­tively.  He/she must have a clear under­stand­ing of what you wish to attain.  If not, then move on to some­one else.  Be thor­ough dur­ing your selec­tion process.  Do not choose some­one who is not on the same wave­length as you.  Find some­one who is able to deliver the work promised.

Addi­tion­ally, exam­ine how skilled the pho­tog­ra­pher is with dig­i­tal touch-ups.  Look at before and after shots.  Are the touched-up images notice­able?  Does the pho­tog­ra­pher use the lat­est ver­sion of Pho­to­Shop?  Is he/she pro­fi­cient in Pho­to­Shop, and is the work com­pleted in a timely manner?

Fur­ther­more, find out what is included in the photographer’s fees.  Are you able to keep all the neg­a­tives?  What is the turn­around regard­ing the length of time it takes from the day of the photo shoot until the day you receive the fin­ished prod­uct?  All of these attrib­utes fac­tor into whether the poten­tial glam­our pho­tog­ra­pher is for you.

Being a glam­our pho­tog­ra­phy model is the ulti­mate retreat from life.  You do not have to be a super­model or a skinny size 0 fash­ion model. You do not have to do it pro­fes­sion­ally to receive the enjoy­ment of being pam­pered for the day.  Call an expe­ri­enced glam­our pho­tog­ra­pher today and find out where the pos­si­bil­i­ties lead you.

Senarai Semak Bagi Bakal Pengantin Kaum Melayu 

Berikut adalah senarai semak untuk proses merisik, majlis pertunangan serta hari pernikahan. Sila cetak dan tandakan perkara yang telah anda lakukan.

MERISIK:

Pihak lelaki yang ingin melamar dan merisik si gadis pilihan, mereka perlulah memastikan perkara-perkara berikut di bawa bersama. Antaranya ialah:

• Cincin belah rotan. (cincin tanda)
• Wang tanda (hantaran) 
• Baju sepasang atau kain
• Buah-buahan
• Kuih-muih
• Menentukan siapakah yang akan menjadi wakil anda. (ibu bapa atau ibu bapa saudara) 
• Wakil pihak lelaki tersebut perlulah bertanya kepada ibu bapa si perempuan sama ada anak gadisnya itu telah mempunyai teman atau tidak.
• Jika tidak, maka wakil pihak lelaki perlulah menyatakan hajat untuk melamar si gadis.
• Jika ibu bapa si gadis telah bersetuju, maka cincin tanda dan lain-lain barang iringan seperti wang tanda, kain, buah-buahan dan kuih-muih diberikan.
• Jika mereka menerima barang-barang yang diberikan, maka secara tidak langsung, si gadis telahpun bersetuju untuk melayari hidup bersama lelaki tersebut.
• Wakil pihak lelaki berbincang tentang wang hantaran.
• Menetapkan hari untuk melangsungkan majlis pertunangan.

PADA HARI PERTUNANGAN:

• Cincin berlian
• Sirih junjung
• Lain-lain hantaran (separuh dari wang hantaran, sepasang baju, buah-buahan, kasut, kek, dan lain-lain) bergantung kepada apa yang telah anda rancangkan.
• Wakil pihak lelaki (ibu atau ibu saudara) yang akan menyarungkan cincin kepada si gadis.

MALAM BERINAI:

• Minta bantuan dari ahli keluarga dan sanak saudara untuk menginaikan anda.
• Jika ingin mengenakan henna, pastikan anda telah menempah mereka yang pakar dalam hal sedemikian sebulan sebelum majlis malam berinai anda.

44 Pantang Larang Bakal Pengantin

Apabila telah ditetapkan hari perkahwinan bermakna bermulalah pantang larang buat bakal mempelai itu. Apa yg ditetapkan harus diikuti utk kebaikan diri mereka. Ia bukanlah menjadi kewajipan tetapi sudah menjadi satu budaya dlm masyarakat melayu. Walaupun bakal pengantin zaman sekarang jarang disebutkan perkara ini kepada mereka, tidak rugi jika apa-apa pantang larang yg difikirkan sesuai masih boleh diikuti.

1.  Jangan keluar dengan pasangan selama 40 hari sebelum diijabkabul utk mengelakkan tohmahan masyarakat. Selain itu ia bertujuan utk mengawal nafsu. Ia juga utk menimbulkan perasaan rindu dendam. Perasaan yg timbul akan membuatkan wajah pengantin lebih berseri.

2.   Jgn tidur dirumah orang takut terkena ilmu. Ia juga utk menjaga nama baik keluarga.

3.   Jgn bebas keluar ke mana-mana kerana takut disantau oleh mereka yg mempunyai niat tidak baik.

4.   Jgn makan nasi dgn gulai berkuah beberapa bulan sebelum naik pelamin bagi mengelakkan  perut buncit.

5.   Elakkan makan ulam yg berbau busuk seperti petai dan jering.

7.   Jgn bercermin terutama selepas maghrib ke atas bagi mengelak diri dari perkara sihir.

8.   Jgn membuang air kecil dan air besar serentak di dlm air contohnya dlm sungai, kolah kerana ia boleh melemahkan organ seks.

9.   Elakkan minum air bergas kerana ia mempunyai gula dan gas yg tinggi dan boleh menyebabkan kencing manis.

10. Kurangkan makan makanan yg manis kerana jika terkena kencing manis, lelaki tersebut menghadapi masalah berat tika bersama.

11. Elakkan mandi malam kerana tidak elok untuk sendi-sendi.

12. Kawal makan iaitu sekali makan setiap hari (mengikut sesetengah adat)

13. Kaum lelaki elakkan memakai seluar dalam yg ketat pada waktu malam dan tidur meniarap kerana tidak bagus utk organ seks kerana darah tidak mengalir.

14. Elakkan terlalu banyak makan makanan laut kerana ia mengandungi banyak toksid.

15. Tiga bulan sebelum berkahwin, mula membuat urutan supaya pengantin mempunyai tenaga.

16. Amalkan makan telur ayam kampung seminggu 2 kali yg dicampur madu dan lada hitam yg ditumbuk utk menambah tenaga.

17. Bagi mereka yg banyak angin, minum air halia utk membuang angin.

18. Belajar ilmu rumahtangga drpd org yg berpengalaman dan sudah berkahwin tentang rahsia memikat isteri supaya rumahtangga aman dan damai.

19. Jgn memuaskan nafsu dengan cara sendiri.

20. Cukupkan waktu tidur tujuh hingga lapan sehari.

21. Elakkan minum minuman keras dan merokok.

22. Elakkan terkena cahaya matahari kerana dikhuatiri hitam dan tidak berseri pada hari perkahwinan.

23. Elakkan minum air soya kerana ia sejuk dan tidak elok utk alat kelamin.

24. Amalkan makan jamu supaya malam pengantin tidak mengecewakan.

25. Banyakkan baca surah-surah bagi mengelakkan gangguan syaitan. Sentiasa mengingati Allah.

26. Jgn makan sebebas-bebasnya kerana ketika ini sistem dalaman tidak stabil.

27. Jgn terlalu terdedah kepada keluarga lelaki (simpan diri).

28. Jgn berembun atau keluar malam bagi mengelakkan unsur jahat.

29. Jgn bercelak atau berlangir serta memotong rambut seminggu sebelum ijabkabul.

30. Jika telah nikah gantung tidak boleh bersama.

31. Selepas nikah mesti ada peneman tidur sebelum bersama. Ia bertujuan utk menghangatkan lagi kemesraan.

32. Bilik lelaki atau wanita jgn dikosongkan. Mesti ada orang atau ahli keluarga terdekat tidur di dalam bagi mengelak dr dikhianati org.

33. Jgn buat kerja yg berat. Bila pengantin membuat kerja berat, dia akan berasa penat dan mudah terjadi nya gangguan emosi.

34. Jaga pertuturan agar tidak menimbulkan rasa sakit hati.

35. Elakkan makan dan minum seperti sayur bersifat sejuk seperti kangkung, bayam, timun, jambu batu dan air kelapa agar muka nampak segar.

36. Jgn cukur kening ditakuti akan menghilangkan seri muka.

37. Sebelum menjadi pengantin, katil kelamin tidak boleh ditiduri oleh pengantin kerana tidak manis.

38. Lempar baju di atas bumbung rumah tanpa diketahui oleh org lain bagi mengelakkan hujan turun ketika majlis berlangsung.

39. Dilarang memandang cermin ketika disolek oleh juruandam kerana dikhuatiri hilang seri.

40. Kedua pengantin dilarang bercakap ketika bersanding kerana kurang manis dipandang tetamu.

41. Jgn makan kepala ayam nanti mengantuk masa bersanding.

42. Dilarang membuang alis kerana perbuatan tersebut akan menghilangkan seri wajah buat pengantin lelaki.

43. Jgn makan bersulam air kerana dikhuatiri menyebabkan perut menjadi buncit.

44. Elakkan keluar rumah tanpa tujuan kerana angan-angan yg tinggi menjelang perkahwinan dikhuatiri bakal pengantin mengalami kemalangan jika berada diluar.

Orang-orang tua Melayu dahulu selalu mengingatkan anak cucunya supaya tidak melanggar pantang larang. Melanggar pantang larang samalah dengan tidak mendengar nasihat.

Wedding photography charges: why, how & should

Many photographers who want to start doing freelance photography in wedding ask me this question: how much should I charge? So, I thought of writing this article to share my view & philosophy for this subject. Furthermore, I hope this article would also benefit other readers who are looking for wedding photographer to understand why it can be expensive sometimes.

When I first started to do freelance wedding photography as a "part-time job-cum-hobby" 2 years ago, I didn't know how much to charge. So, I looked & asked around to find out what the "Market" is like, ie. wedding photography charges

The "Market"

A typical wedding normally last 10 hours or so. In Miri (Sarawak), photographers (full- & part-time) charge between RM150 to RM2,400+. In other parts of Malaysia, the price goes up to RM10,000 & beyond. So, what is a reasonable price?

Labour cost

Adi, my grass cutter for the past 5 years, get paid RM25 for cutting my grass. He usually spend less than 45 min to cut, sweep & clear the grass. Now imagine a photographer who charges RM300 for a 10 hours shooting, that's without including the hours spent sorting & editing the photos. Is RM300 for a wedding day shoot reasonable? Truth is, many people do not wish to pay RM30 per hour to hire wedding photographer.

Equipment cost

Back to Adi, my grass-cutter, he told me that the grass cutting machine is about RM2500. Let's say we round it up to RM3000, and compare to what you can find in a photographer's bag. What's in my bag easily cost 5 times more. So I should be charging 5 x RM300 = RM1500 for a wedding day shoot; reasonable? For your information, I charge RM988 as of this year (2009) but it’ll be increased soon. Some say I'm expensive, some say I'm cheap.

Therefore, to pay a photographer the same way you would pay a grass cutter, RM1500 seems a good bargain; or is it? Well, that means it cost RM150 per hour to hire a photographer. Again, I say this : Truth is, many people do not wish to pay RM30 per hour to hire wedding photographer.

Interesting fact: a pro-level DSLR cost about RM16,000 and has a shutter life of 150,000 cycles. That means each shutter click costs about RM0.11. Normally, one would do about 3,000 shots and that translate to RM330. So, if someone photographs your wedding using such camera for free, he/she is actually making a loss of RM330, just on equipment wear & tear. That is even if he knows NOTHING about photography, shoot underexposed photos, out-of-focus, missed a lot of things, etc etc.

Don't eat a pine”apple” the way you eat an “apple”

Let’s look at the next level of thoughts on wedding photography charges: There are reasons why a photographer shouldn't be paid like a grass cutter. However, sometimes, a photographer can be paid like a grass cutter. I'll give two reasons & examples here:

1)   Precious moment is precious, because it is a moment that once it's missed, it's gone. Unlike cutting grass, if you missed a spot, you can come back the next day. Take this shot of mine for example; it’s a moment of showing love, friendship & care. If I’ve missed that shot, I couldn’t have had it replayed, and even if I did, it won’t be as candid as it was because it was a candid.

2)   How much is the price of creativity? How much is the price of an art work? I was learning oil painting from an Indonesian artist when I was a kid. I swear that his work is good enough to hang on any of the 5 stars hotel but guess what? He was selling his painting for less than RM50 a piece. I still remember so vividly that he has just kerosene stove in his room and eat instant noodle for meals. Then, I remember myself standing in front of Picasso’s Guernica in Madrid. This is a piece of work that would worth millions, if for sale. So, let’s take this shot of mine as example... I wouldn’t say it’s Picasso but I like to think I’ve made a little effort with my own creativity & artistic sense. So how much is it worth? Close to nothing, but that didn’t stop me to do what I like to do.

So, I hope you get the picture by now. Hopefully, you’d understand why wedding photography cannot be free-of-charge. You would also knowhow such a huge range of charges in the market is possible. Sometimes, brand name is a big factor, that’s why a LV bag or a Rolex watch is expensive. Thus, the more famous a photographer is, the higher the price will be. Lastly, should you be charging that price? Should you be paying that price? This is where subjectivity comes in.

taken from : http://beingelvish.multiply.com/journal/item/87