Peter Coulson

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So wednesday 11 May in the pre dawn hours we set off for Sun Studios to spend the day with Peter Coulson.

It's been so fascinating to get to know the "celebrities" of Australian Photography. Both Peter & Alexia were so generous with their information & time.

I was encouraged to hear that Peter's technique is mostly to "keep it simple" - more lights = more problems. Use what you have, you do not need the most expensive latest greatest lights to create good lighting.

It was interesting to know that Peter's favourite light is full sun in the middle of the day. You can break the rules as long as you do it well.

Some tips from the day -

* Get it right in camera

* Skin - light it straight on slightly higher than the subject & slightly over expose it for the least imperfections

* To bring out texture in fabric light from the side.

* To bring out the colour in the eyes light from the side of the face.

* For Portraits-shoot landscape & For Landscape-shoot portrait = more options later on

* Shoot for yourself aswell as the client - most times client will love what you have done & forget what they initially wanted.

* Train models with ugly clothes-if they can make them look good they know what they are doing.

* Don't forget about subtractive lighting, can be useful in certain circumstances.

* Play & be creative, forget about what is supposed to be the "right" way & experiment.