DIY Fashion and Editorial Photography

This course will suit the beginner. The audience all seemed to know very little and the kind of questions that were being asked highlighted their lack of experience in photographing models/portraits. I found Amanda very down to earth and helpful. Her responses to questions was straight to the point and honest. A couple of things though: 1) This is a DIY course however nearly every model was wearing outfits that were hired as opposed to thrown together from bought materials or made to look great with some DIY tips. I visited the website that Amanda referred to several times (a plug for Lindsey Adlers shop) and the prices of the outfits were very expensive with a 4 day rental period as a minimum. Definitely no good for those trying to keep the budget low cost. On one of the shoots there was another lady taking the photographs as she had thought of the concept. Amanda was directing the model however this just didn't work for me. And what was very frustrating was the photographs were all out of focus as for some strange reason they were using manual focus on the 50mm 1.2L. Never good to see that many out of focus images. This concept was the only one where the outfit was put together using some cheap fabrics bought at a goodwill, and it showed. The images were quite frankly poor. Also non of these shots made it through to the editing phase. 2) There was little explanation as to why certain light modifiers were chosen (westcott 7' parabolic with diffuser vs large softbox). 3) There was a lot of good info however for the beginner, however I did not find I got enough from this course personally. I have been involved in fashion portraits and wedding photographer for around 8 years and wanted this video to give me loads of ideas on how to create awesome fashion styling and concepts using cheap materials, found objects and other tips and tricks to get the "look" without spending the money. I actually found the Brook Shaden $29 course far better for this. Overall a good course for beginners however I wouldn't recommend it if you have been shooting for more than year or so, nothing new or ground breaking or anything you couldn't find online/you tube.

Amanda diaz has given me inspiration and purpose. I wake up everyday inspired to create a beautiful image, atleast enough to hold your "aww" for a few seconds. I can relate to Amanda on so many levels as I also found myself in photography and never planned for it. Just like Amanda, I also started from scratch with nobody to help or assist me. If I had found this tutorial a few years ago, it would have speeded up the process of learning. Even today I call myself a professional photographer, this course still had a lot to offer me. I can blab on and on about how much I love and support Amanda diaz, however I will make it short and sweet by saying three simple words, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" www.snipershotsphotography.com https://www.facebook.com/danssnipershots

This was the best creative and most prolific 3 days of a tutorial. Amanda covered the entire spectrum of what every photographer who's trying to become better and bigger go through. I loved the part where she spoke about how to shoot in any lighting situation outdoors and a few indoors. She not only spoke about them, she went into full detail to help the novice or advanced level photog. Despite the tethering issues CL had with Lightroom, Amanda poetically commanded every day of her 3 days. Another point is that she did everything "her way", and not the traditional textbook style of teaching and editing. One prolific point is that NONE of the previous CL instructors touched the issue of drama, unwanted criticisms, or unprofessional things that happen in the industry, however with a brilliant stroke of quiet humility, and courage, Amanda did. I believe it helped everyone realize that no matter what level of photography you're on that it happens and you have to oftentimes "bite your tongue", or "turn the other cheek". It also pointed out that as photographers we should be doing everything to help one another to build our industry, vice tear it down by hurting one another because of the mindset of "competition". Amanda Diaz, and CL I salute and thank you dearly! Semper Fi! Mike www.mikeconphoto.com www.facebook.com/mikeconphotography