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Equipment Used:
Camera: Canon 5D 12.8 megapixel Digital SLR

Lens: Canon 28-135 mm Lens and Canon 70-200 f2.8

Tripod: Manfrotto O55 Tripod

Lights: Cameron Digital Imager Quartz Hot Lights 750W fully variable output for intensity control, great for portrait photography. The lights are mounted on light stand and bounced out of an umbrella.

We are pleased to join Stratford photographer Irene Miller, for conversation and ideas on her style of portrait photography.  Irene has established her new portrait studio at Factory 163, an unique victorian furniture factory now converted to a series of artisans studios, craft shops and galleries.

Irene offers the client an opportunity to dress up for their portrait.  Already having a collection of vintage clothes, Irene went to the Performing Arts Lodge Stratford fundraiser in September, where she successfully won the bids on a number of Festival costumes in the silent auction.  If you can’t find the outfit that suits your portrait, Irene contacts the Festival costume warehouse and makes arrangements to pick out an outfit from them.  These costumes and accessories make for great portraits and combined with surroundings, very quickly relaxes the subject and puts them in a fun frame of mind for photographs.

“But it’s not just about costumes.  I want people to come, in here and be carried away, taken somewhere else or to be in an atmosphere where they are allowed to be someone they have always wanted to be.”

When asked about the importance of capturing the memory and her photography, her answer was from the heart.  “When I came to Canada as a child it was so impressed upon me the importance of photographs at family events when the photo album would come out.  These pictures were treated as very precious things.  And that’s the legacy I want my photos and portraits to cary on to the next generation.”

Irene also went on to demonstrate her technique in relaxing her subject, and passed on the great photo tip of after you are finished the session, just at that moment when you tell your subject your finished, snap a couple more images, those can sometimes be the best shots of a photo session.

Thanks Irene for taking the time to share your ideas and studio with everyone at MyPhotoClub.com.  You can also see Irene’s nature images in the Forum section under Irene’s Photo of the week, accompanied by an interesting sonnet or poem.