Author Archive for Joseph Cristina

Go Behind-the-Scenes of a High-end Fashion Shoot with Joseph Cristina

By Joseph Cristina
Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

In this behind-the-scenes video, Joseph Cristina from Allure Multimedia tests the Hasselblad H4D-40 medium format DSLR camera in a high-end fashion shoot. Joe’s creative vision and “run and gun” style of shooting combined with the superior quality of the H4D-40 captured some amazing images of these original fashion designs.

The shoot took place in sunny Miami, Florida at Shake-A-Leg Miami Aquatic Center and Marine Academy. You may see some familiar settings in this video as several segments of the hit USA Network original series “Burn Notice” were filmed there. If you look closely in the video you may even see a few clips of me. I flew down to assist Joe on the shoot and to cover the event for CurrentPhotographer.com. We’ll be posting a full review of the Hasselblad H4D-40 along with some other photos, clips and behind-the-scenes content from the day.

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Categories : Inspiration, Make Better Photographs
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5 Tips to Create Great Actor Headshots

By Joseph Cristina
Friday, August 13th, 2010

When becoming an actor, Actor Headshots are one of the most important requirements and can make the difference between getting casting calls or not. Headshots for actors help agencies place their talent with Film Makers, TV Producers and alike. No matter if you’re looking to become a Hollywood Super Star California Actor or star in a Disney Production in Orlando, FL a high quality acting headshot by a professional headshot photographer is critical!

Last week I received a bunch of requests via my Twitter and Facebook account requesting that I would place a few examples of what actor headshots look like and explain what makes one better than the next.

Well, all of you with this question are in luck. Just yesterday a great guy named Benjamin James came into my photography studio to have his Acting Headshot photographed before leaving for LA California to pursue an acting career. Read More→

Categories : Make Better Photographs, Shooting Tips
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Professional Branding… Do I need it?

By Joseph Cristina
Monday, August 9th, 2010

I’m publishing this short entry as a follow up to my previous article titled “Branding Portraiture Photography“. Let me beginning by giving you some background: A few weeks back the studio receives contact from a brand new company which was in need of a “Look“, a “Brand“, or “Image” to allow their clients to recognize them immediately when seeing their promotional materials.

This strong association between the Company and the Brand is one of the most critical factors when starting a new venture and is so often over looked..

How many of you have been handed a business card that was pure white, with color text, and sporting a logo which was certainly picked out of a book at a local print shop? Come on… How many? Over the years, I’ve seen my fare share of this type of rubbish which negatively reflects on the business no matter how “fantastic they are or say they are”.

Remember, if it appears to a client that you are not taking your company seriously, I assure you, they will not either! As they say, ” Too make money one must spend money!” When starting a new business you can cut corners and save money in many areas but when it come to the face of your establishment, its “BRAND” or “IMAGE”, this is something you must pay a professional to get it right. Read More→

Categories : Make Better Photographs, Portrait Photography
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Branding Portraiture Photography

By Joseph Cristina
Monday, July 19th, 2010

Over the years I have had the good fortune to work with actors, actresses, celebrities as well as up and coming models, corporate executives and alike. At first, many state they only want a “good looking” representation of themselves in the best light possible … and of course … I can do that! 🙂

On the other hand, some require Professional Branding Portraiture Photography which is slightly different.

Before continuing I would like to say: This short article was inspired by a call I received by a potential client yesterday. A very nice lady rang to say that she was searching the web, stumbled across our website and was intrigued by the “Simple Design”, “Color”, “Banner Image” and most importantly the” branding portrait” of myself. In short, the potential client raved about the content but stated she would not have stayed to view it if for not the intriguing,  professional portrait which was displayed.

Branding Portraiture in a nutshell requires the client to know who they are or whom or what they wish to be “portrayed” as.  Many times I send new client’s away with the task of determining this and ask them to schedule a session once they know and have the ability to articulate it too me.  Some call back within a day, some a week and others not at all. This task is not an easy one and requires some sole searching, to say the least. Read More→

Categories : Make Better Photographs, Portrait Photography
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Speedlite Built-in Snoot

By Joseph Cristina
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

How many of us professionals forget that our strobes have a “ZOOM” feature? Zoom is normally set too automatic and will focus the strobe beam of light based on the lens “Zoom” setting.

Example: If we’re using a 24-70 lens and have it zoomed out to 24mm your flash would automatically fire a beam of light broad enough to encompass the entire frame. Now if we take the same picture and zoom in with lens to 70mm our strobe will focus that same beam of light to only strike the area which is now framed within the camera. This process saves flash power and overall works great! Read More→

Categories : Lighting Tips, Make Better Photographs
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Facebook, A Great Portfolio Solution

By Joseph Cristina
Monday, April 5th, 2010

Photo Blogs, Flickr and portfolio specific web solutions are a great away for us professional photographers to display our work to the masses but how effective are they and are there alternatives? Many of us, myself included, started out posting portfolio images to a website or photo blog and found that the amount of comments or responses have greatly diminished. Flickr is still a great place to show off your work and receive feedback but how about the Social Network, Facebook?

I’ve found that not only is Facebook a great platform for displaying new portfolio images to current and potential clients, it also provides immediate feedback and an increased opportunity for additional referral business. Now that’s great, but recently it got even better…   Read More→

Categories : Grow Your Business, Social Media Marketing
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