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I was fortunate to recently photograph Madison Martinez. Madison is a gymnast. A very good gymnast. She will amaze you with the skill level she has attained at such a young age (she is a middle school student). 

Madison, Erika (her mom) and I spent a couple of hours in my studio in Surprise, AZ, to create a series of images that capture Madison's skill and presence at this time of her life. These images are a part of the Custom Sports Art portraiture that I offer to athletes. These portraits are created to reflect the drama, excitement and artistry of the athlete's world. The drama and artistry of Madison was easy to capture because she moves with such grace and confidence.

I am presenting here the Black and White versions of a few of her images. The Black and White images seem to add to the dramatic fine art aspect of her graceful movements. I am sure you will enjoy them as much as I do. You can find more images of Madison in my gallery for Custom Sports Art Series.

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OFF CAMERA FLASH WORKSHOP 
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2012 
9am to 1pm

Take your photography to the next level. Learn how to take your flash off the hot shoe on your DSLR camera and fire it remotely. The result is that your images will become magical.

The image above looks like a studio portrait, but it was NOT created in a studio. It was created in a living room with a single flash that was fired off the camera with a remote trigger. But it looks like a professional studio shot. And this image was used in an international print advertisement in magazines across the U.S. and Europe. You can learn how to do this! And it's not just for portraits. Use it in most of your photography.

For only $99 you will learn what equipment you will need and how to effectively use it. Nothing changed my own photography more than learning this one simple technique.

This is a hands on workshop. You will create images using this technique during the workshop. Bring your DSLR camera and lens, hot shoe flash (if you have one), remote triggers (if you have them), camera and flash manuals (if you can find them), and a notebook and pen. If you don't currently own a flash or remote triggers, that's OK. Loaners will be available for the workshop. This workshop is not for point-and-shoot cameras.

This workshop will be held on Sunday, November 4, from 9am to 1pm, at my studio. My studio is located in Surprise, AZ, close to Loop 303 and Bell Road. The address is 17571 W. Rimrock St., Surprise, AZ.

You can register either by calling Ron Brewer at (623) 698-2228 or online a twww.RonBrewerImages.com. Click the menu item WORKSHOPS and then WORKSHOP SCHEDULE. You will need your credit card to register. Payment is required to register. You must be registered to attend the workshop. Class sizes are limited, so register today.

Ron Brewer Images Phoenix and Scottsdale Photographer

How do they do it? How do professional photographers take those amazing portraits? You can get the same results that the professionals get.

Believe me, t's not rocket science. It's not nearly as hard as it is to learn how to get a correct exposure! But you do need to know the simple methods used to get those great portraits. In this workshop you will learn special portrait techniques and try them out as you learn. Yes, this is a hands-on workshop, so bring your DSLR camera and lens.

This workshop will be on Sunday, October 21, from 9am to 1pm at my studio in Surprise, AZ. For only $99, you get four full hours of instruction in a small group setting and hands-on experience taking portraits using these techniques. You will learn how to create beautiful light and poses so that people look their best.

There are two ways to register. You can register on-line at www.RonBrewerImages.com by clicking on the "Workshops" menu item and then click on "Workshop Registration". To register online, you will need a credit or debit card. Or, just give me a call to register at (623) 698-2228.

This workshop is for owners of DSLR cameras, not Point-and-Shoot cameras.

Stop taking snapshots and start taking portraits! Class sizes are limited, so register today.

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The workshop schedule for October 2012 has been released.

You can learn the basics of how to use your DSLR camera or learn how to create macro and close up pictures. Or both!  All of the workshops provide some hands on experience in a small group of learners. A relaxed environment provides a great learning experience.  

Click HERE for the Workshop Schedule for October 2012

Click HERE for the DSLR Camera Photography Workshop (Introduction to Photography Workshop) Schedule

Ron Brewer Images Phoenix and Scottsdale Photographer

Women go through a change when they are pampered, have someone they trust apply their make-up and do their hair, and then dress up in something that is "wow". A BIG change. Not only do they look beautiful, but they feel beautiful and act beautiful. Yes, that's right. They ACT beautiful. You can see it in how they talk and walk. They laugh more and they even have a different gait when they walk. You see it in how they turn their head and flip their hair. They seem more alive and involved in what is happening around them. Their social interactions move up a notch. As one woman stated, she could even play miniature golf better (got a hole in one!). It's so obvious that the change is in their self-confidence. Believing you look beautiful results in your feeling and acting beautiful. At that point, you move beyond the cultural stereotypes about beauty and you are beautiful.

Kenna Klosterman, a photographer from Seattle, recently blogged about her experience of receiving a make over and contemporary glamour photo shoot with photographer Sue Bryce. Kenna said "I began to no longer think about what I look like, but rather what I feel like. I don’t look the same as I did when I was 21, but Sue transported me back to that youthful feeling. At the same time, I began to accept and own aging with beauty." I can't think of a better way to describe the experience of a make over and contemporary glamour photo shoot. 

What's even more interesting is how the world reacts differently to women that feel beautiful. They cause the world to change. Men take a longer look at them on the street. People respond differently to them. The self-confidence of feeling beautiful has a strong impact.

I enjoy watching a woman go through this transformation as she is pampered in a makeup and hair session, dress up and be in a photo shoot that is designed to make her look and feel even more beautiful. The whole day becomes special for her. This is even more so for the woman that doesn't believe, in day to day life, that she is beautiful. Even more fascinating, the experience continues after the photo shoot. That's why I encourage them to go out that night and paint the town red. They already look and feel great, why not continue the experience for a few more hours and top the day off!

One of my specialities is Beauty Inspired Portraits of Women, which is what I call my contemporary glamour photo shoots. See what it is like in my Beauty Inspired Portrait Series gallery to be photographed when you are feeling beautiful. And you can see some before and after images of these women in my Before and After gallery.

_POR0262 2012 09 06 Andrea Lasley

The art of dance draws many different emotions from within me. But I am most awed by the beauty of the art form.

A body in rhythmic motion can be beautiful to view, but it can also tell a story. Dance is a form of non-verbal communication between humans. But did you know that dance is also performed by some animals. Even the Bees dance. And some animals perform a mating dance, but that's a different story so I'll leave it at that.

I recently photographed Andrea Lasley, a dance artist from the Phoenix area. She is not only a practitioner of dance, but teaches the art form to budding artists. It's a thrill to see someone of this quality and character giving back to her community like this.

Even though she is experienced in many forms of dance, we spent most of our session photographing ballet and ballroom, which, I think are my personal favorites. Like a true artist, she approaches her discipline with great passion. I've heard her talk about it in a personal way that was very meaningful. Her passion carries her through the pain of the art form. It's ironic how something as beautiful as dance has a painful side. But maybe that is true of everything in life that we hold worthwhile. She has the ability to make something so complex and painful to learn, look so simple and beautiful. That's the sign of an accomplished artist.

Watching Andrea move before my lens was pure joy. I often felt like I was at a recital of beauty in motion. And I got to photograph it! For me, that's like having my cake and eating it too!

One of my specializations is in capturing the art of the dancer in custom images. You can see more of Andrea in my gallery The Art of Dance.

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Fine Art and Dance are perfect companions.

This last week I was privileged to do a photo shoot with Andrea Lasley, an amazing dancer from the Phoenix area. We created a large number of images, most of which were focused on her talents in the field of dance. In the middle of the process, she introduced "The Mask" into the shoot. I wasn't expecting it, as I was more focused on the beauty of dance as our concept. But the minute she pulled the mask out of her bag, I was hooked! Obviously, she carries around a little "bag of tricks" full of great ideas. You never really know where you are going to end up when two artists collaborate on their creation. You start with a seed of a concept and watch it grow and bloom into something that excites each of you.

I loved the concept she germinated - the idea of conflicting themes. The concept of the beauty of the ballerina against the alter reality that the mask introduces into the image completely changes the story being told by the image. The mask introduces drama, mystery, and a harshness against the ballerina's soft presentation of simple beauty. I've always loved conflicting themes in imagery. 

One of her friends said that the mask was "freaky". She got it! She understood what the image was all about; she saw that the image was about being beautiful and freaky at the same time. You have to love it when that happens!

You can see more images from Andrea's photo shoot in my gallery The Art of Dance. 

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