A Shot at the World Bodypainting Festival

Enter into the world of competitive body painting and you step into the midst a frenetic combination of art, beauty, logistics, and Beat the Clock.

With only six hours to complete a full presentation, artist teams pull out their brushes, sponges, stencils, and airbrushes to complete a work that is judged not only on the creativity and artistic merit of the finished product but the presentation by the model, or “canvas,” to the jury.

The results can be stunning, even amazing. The works, however impressive, are merely temporary – a basic fact that leads to a unique symbiotic relationship between the artist/model side and the photographer who is faced with the challenge of capturing these works during their brief existence.

The “big game” in bodypainting is the World Bodypainting Festival in Portschach am Worthersee in southern Austria. The 40^th annual event has just concluded. The artist and model awards have been presented.

When the festival main days conclude, the baton is passed to the attending photographers who have little over two months to submit their portfolios of the event to the festival team for judging.

The site of the festival is itself a treat. Portschach, just north of Austria’s border with Slovenia and little known to Americans, is an exclusive resort town on a crystal clear lake surrounded by beautiful, tall mountains. In many ways the village harkens back to romance of American seaside resorts of the 1930s and 40s.

The 2011 festival was located for the first time on this peninsula that interspersed stages, artists’ tents, and vendors among large shade trees with views of another picturesque Austrian town across the lake with it’s church standing center among the white walled, orange roofed buildings.

Yes, there are bare breasts aplenty at the WBF. But this is a family event attended by young and old, not an erotic carnival. Indeed, young teens and tweens even from the USA attended workshop classes and assisted with the body painting. However, similar events in the United States limit access to those over 21.

Those thinking of dipping their toes into the 2012 WBF when it comes around next July could get a leg-up from our first-time experience:

The most critical lesson learned is the necessity to register early. This rule is especially critical to obtain one of the limited number of photographer slots. While photography is permitted, even encouraged, throughout the event, enrolling as a photographer is necessary to enter the photo competition and to have access to preferential shooting areas during the judging and stage events. An early sign up is also best to ensure entry into World Bodypainting Academy classes and workshops that take place around Portschach in the days leading up to the festival.

If you are thinking of competing in one or more of the bodypainting categories (brush & sponge, airbrush, special effects, face painting, and ultraviolet) make your connections and form your teams. While makeup is widely available for purchase at the festival, bring your own airbrush.

That said, my wife, who has bodypainting experience but no prior plans to compete, teamed up on site with a talented and captivating Spanish artist and circus performer to paint two Austrian volunteer models on the second festival day and placed quite respectably in the highly competitive, amateur category.

Lodging options in Portschach are plentiful and vary from camping to five star hotels. Staying in the village itself is not mandatory, however, as there is excellent and frequent rail service to the local train station located only 300 meters from the festival main entrance. It is practical to stay, for example, in even higher end resort lodging in Velden to the west or in less expensive quarters a few minutes to the northeast in Klagenfurt – also the location of the nearest commercial airport.

The most convenient airports with flights from the United States are Vienna, Austria; Venice, Italy; and Munich, Germany. We chose to fly into Munich and rent a car. The trip to the WBF in our little, black Seat hatchback, was just under four hours and passed through unforgettable alpine scenery. The roads are wide and uncrowded autobahn (freeways). Those who choose this route need to be forewarned that Austria charges a toll for autobahn access that is paid by buying a windshield sticker (a “vignette”) from the first rest stop or other vendor when entering the country. Vignettes may be purchased for as little as 10 days, but you might be lucky enough to find that the car you rent may already have one!

The road trip, however, is not for the tunnel-phobic. There are quite a number of places where the roads pass under mountains, and some of the tunnels are close to five miles long. Toll charges, in addition to the vignette, add an additional 10 euros each way between Munich and Portschach.

Another challenge for many Americans is the language. Austria is a German-speaking country. Enough English is spoken to enable basic communication with Americans. It would not hurt, however, to learn a little simple German. For that matter, studying international traffic and road signs would be a good idea, as well. Within the festival, English is commonly used as participants this year originated from 48 countries. However, when signing up for courses or workshops, double check whether it will be conducted in English or German.

Visiting photographers will notice an abundance of high end, professional photographic equipment in use by other photographers at the festival. Challenging lighting conditions will be encountered. The artists’ tents can be dimly lit, and photography of day and night stage events is similar to the environment at large outdoor concerts. Fast lenses and a zoom of at least 200mm are essential. Many photographers also use flash either as fill-in or to provide the main light source, as festival events last well into the night. Some also find a monopod to be helpful. Nikon is an event sponsor and offered free camera cleanings and equipment loan on site.

Even while we are beginning to tackle the daunting task of editing our WBF pictures to meet the photography contest deadline, we are making plans for next year and how to improve our skills before then. The excitement of the festival and fierce competition are easily contagious in this Austrian lakeside town.

http://www.bodypainting-festival.com

Putting the Light Back in the Viewfinder

My first serious camera was a Honeywell Pentax Spotmatic. I loved that camera. When I wanted to take a picture I turned it on, focused it, set the aperture and shutter speed, and hit the button. Focusing was pretty easy because the camera came with a lovely split prism viewfinder that enabled quick and very precise alignment of the image, resulting in sharp focus.

As we have moved into the era of reliable and fast autofocus, the split screen viewfinders have gone away. They aren’t needed anymore since the camera and lens do all the work. Except when they can’t.

What counteracts this convenience is the greater and greater light sensitivity of today’s DSLRs. My Nikon D3 can take quite good pictures in very dim light situations. The D3S can do even better, and I’m not going to try to predict what the sensitivity of a future D4 or D4 S may turn out to be.

While the sensors have become more sensitive, the autofocus systems have simply not kept up. They hunt and, usually, miss in a low light situation … when extremely precise focus is most necessary because you’re shooting wide open with an f/1 .4 or f/1 .8 lens.

So, last week I took a big leap. I had the focus screen in my D3 replaced with an old-fashioned split screen viewfinder. It’s like there’s a new world out there! Focusing in those dim light situations, albeit with the camera autofocus disabled, has taken me back to my days of the Spotmatic. And it works.

My bottom line here is that if you are a person who likes to shoot available light in those extremely marginal conditions with a very fast lens, take a look at the option of replacing your focus screen. This simple surgery on my camera cost me $125 and it re-opened a whole new world of in-focus lowlight photography.

Am I a Photographer?

It’s a lot easier to become a lawyer or a electrician than it is to become a photographer. Lawyers get a degree and take a test. Electricians serve as an apprentice, then pass a test. What do photographers do? There are no rules.

It takes a license to be a doctor or even a barber. We just buy a camera.

There is a clear dividing line between being a plumber or not. If I try to fix the bathroom faucet, I may get out my wrench, but my wife does not call me a plumber. For good reason. But a friend with a Nikon D80 and a 300mm lens this week reminded me that she is often assumed to be a “professional photographer” because she has a “professional looking” (I presume that means big) camera.

The evidence of the problem can be plainly seen. As we troll the pages of Model Mayhem or Flickr we see many examples of so-called glamour photos that should never have been taken. They are often of models who should never be in front of a camera in poses that should never be shot. These, usually nude, photos are then posted on MM, OMP, Flickr or somesuch and showered with praise, usually by males whose own portfolio contains a lot of similar images.

But back to my point: When should we call ourselves a photographer? When have we crossed that line from just owning a camera?

It may be a gray area, but I think we cross that point when we transition from taking a snapshot principally to record a memory or an experience to creating an image for the sake of the image itself. Sure the quality of some photographers’ pictures will be a lot better than others. I don’t think I take bad photos … but I am humbled by the portraits of Yousuf Karsh, the glamour of Arny Freytag, and almost anyone whose photos appear in National Geographic!

That said, I’m still aghast at the number of people, usually male, whose portfolio resembles a trophy case of girls they “got nekkid.” I know there are some people who just want to get girls out of their clothes and others who genuinely think their shots are worthwhile. For me, I cringe when I look at some of my shots from the past and am grateful that there is not a photographers’ version of the try-out episodes of American Idol. (Isn’t there a any family member with the courage to tell some of these guys they can’t sing????)

All this has inspired me to remove nude shots from my MM and OMP pages. It has also inspired me to continue to do better work to capture the beauty (and sometimes humor) that is out there.

Getting a Start in Glamour Photography

Glamour photography is where most of my efforts are centered these days. So, when the topic of my photos comes up in conversation the third most frequent question I hear is, "just how do I get started in glamour photography?"

(For the record, the more frequent questions are [#2] "And your wife puts up with this" and [#1] "Can I hold your lights for you any time?")

Since my previous post was on the topic of Rolando Gomez, let me start there. Rolando is probably the best known conductor of glamour workshops around the USA. His blogs and websites are numerous. It is a tribute to his marketing efforts that he lands so high on just about every Google search.

Indeed, when I wanted to make a serious transition into glamour a few years ago, a Rolando workshop was a big help. Seeing real lights and getting advice from a genuine glamour photographer was a tremendous leg-up. The photo of Kayti was taken at the very first Rolando workshop I attended -- BUT it was not taken using any of the lights and set-ups pre-positioned by Rolando. And that gets me to my first point: You are not going to do well at glamour if you do not already have photo talents and understand basic photographic principles and your equipment.

Point number two is that there are glamour workshops versus glamour workshops. Some focus on genuine instruction. Some are merely an opportunity to take pictures (of dubious quality) of "nekkid wimmen." Others are some sort of combination of the two. Decide which you want up front and choose your workshop provider carefully.

Some other points to check out before investing your money:

* How much is the workshop and how much do you have to pay up front?

* What assurance do you have that the workshop sponsor will refund your money if (when) the workshop is cancelled. Lots of workshops get cancelled.

* Are there add on fees ("voluntary" or involuntary)? Some workshops are a set price with no add-ons. Others start piling on the "voluntary" fees once you get there. Frequently add-on fees are tips for the make-up artist and/or a charge for a model release. But I have also been hit up for fees to the gardener and maid, plus meals for the models.

Before you send off your money, talk to past workshop attendees. Learn what you are signing up for and what you can expect to get out of your investment in both time and money.

Once I learned the thrill of nailing a really great glamour shot, I was hooked. That might happen to you too! Or, maybe, you can just get crappy shots of nekkid wimmen.

Photo: Kayti Currington

Photo Workshop Review: Rolando Gomez - Arny Freytag Private Instruction

I have seen only one other blog on the subject of Photo Workshops. In that case the blogger was not much a fan of glamour workshops -- but I am a bit more positive on the subject as workshops can be a great place to network and exchange ideas. But admittedly, there are two types of glamour workshop attendees: the GWCs versus those who are serious about their work.

Several months ago Rolando Gomez approached me to ask if I would be interested in private instruction with Arny Freytag in the Playboy Studio West facilities in Santa Monica. He quoted me a price that was rather substantial. Since I try to fall in that latter category of those serious about my work, I said yes immediately, hoping that exposure to one of the true gurus of glamour photography would give my photography a needed leg up.

Finally, last week the day arrived for the shoot. My wife, our model, and I arrived at the studios just a little early last Saturday morning. Rolando was already there. All too soon the day was over, far surpassing my expectations.

I was admittedly intimidated in front of Arny. Unnecessarily.

Arny turned out to be extremely helpful, open, and a genuinely nice person with extraordinary knowledge of his field. My concerns that he and his team would be put off by me as a stranger in their midst was completely wrong. The makeup artist, the stylist, his IT specialist, photographic assistant, intern, and Arny, himself, rolled out the red carpet.

During the day we shot on three sets. Arny and his team went over the lighting, posing, and set design. Arny was insightful. Indeed, what I took away from Studio West has radically changed my approach to studio shooting.

There were some additional pluses. My wife, Alison, who has become quite proficient at photographic makeup, used the opportunity to observe and learn from both the makeup artist and stylist. Both of us came away enlightened – albeit, for the price of one.

Finally, the third member of our team – our model, Eleya Maureen. We had worked with her before and were impressed with her professionalism. Eleya arrived in LA in time to celebrate my birthday with Alison and me at In-n-Out with candles on my 4x4 cheeseburger. We not only had our extraordinary day at Studio West, we shot at a beach in Ventura County. Plus Eleya and Alison made two shopping trips to the L.A. Fashion District.

Despite some recent misgivings about dealings with Rolando, I am glad to say that in this case, he hit a home run. For my part, I don’t expect that instantly I will be a clone of Arny or can reproduce Playboy centerfold quality. But I am now working to incorporate many aspects of what I have learned into my own photography. (And, Arny, if you are reading this, I’ve ordered sandbags.)

The picture of Eleya above was taken in our Studio West session.