Marc Silber: Brian, thanks for joining me on Advancing Your Photography.

Brian Smith: Thank you Marc.  Thanks for having me out here.

Marc:  Brian tell me about your approach to photography and the type of work you really really love to do.

Brian:  Well I'm a celebrity portrait photographer, so I shoot all ranges of people everybody from famous actors, and athletes, CEO's.  But it could be just as likely that I'm photographing your next door neighbor.  One of the great things about being a portrait photographer is it's a chance to drop into peoples lives for five minutes, five hours a day and meet people from all different walks of life.

Marc:  What about shooting celebrities?  What's the magic that goes on there?

Brian:  Well celebrities are fun because there the type of people you want to meet, so it's this great entree into their lives where you get to spend a little bit of time with them.  Find out a little bit about them.  Sometimes the challenge there is when you're photographing someone who has been photographed a lot, is how do you create a defining photograph for somebody who has been photographed a thousand times?  We usually try to have a lot of fun with it, just let them be themselves, and not over-direct things.  If we've got a great concept we'll go with that, but if they want to take it in another direction I think it's really important to give them the space that it's a collaboration instead of here come Ö we're going to do this to you.

Marc:  how do you draw the kind of emotions out that you're looking for?

Brian:  I think that one of the things that we always try to do is keep the set as small as possible.  We've all been to the sets where there's a cast of a hundred behind the photographers and everybody is talking on their cellphones and blackberries.  Being in front of that is very disconcerting so a lot of times, even if we're set up in a huge studio, we'll find a little corner and create a tiny intimate space for the subjects where it's really all about them and being in front of the camera and they can zone out everybody who's around.  As much as I can I keep those people in a separate room so it's just myself, a stylist, and the celebrity.  A lot of times getting rid of all those distractions ... I think people react better to the shoots.

Marc: Makes sense.  What are some of the key things that you use every time you pick up a camera or before you pick one up?

Brian:  Well I think what I try to do, before we even bring the subject in, before we get a camera, I always start with lightning.  That's your foundation.  Get the light as close to what you're going to expect with the person so really all you're going to have to do is fine tune it.  If you create this situation where somebody can walk into a situation that's beautifully lit, they look great, suddenly they're at ease.  Because one of the first things that they do is Ö subjects that have been in front of the camera a lot generally know when the lightning is good.  You want that just not to be a concern.  You want all of the technical aspects to kind of fade into the background and to have it just be about them.

Marc:  Any nuts and bolts lighting tips?

Brian:  Well I always start with a single light source.  A lot of times if I'm doing an environmental portrait it's a single light source that's augmented by the available light.  It's like an ambient fill and a light on the subject, then being able to light every situation gives you the control of putting the sun where you want it.  Sometimes I might want to vary a natural soft look, other times I want to chisel the light so that it's very dramatic and almost like you're lighting a sculpture in a museum.  So I think a lot of that goes in terms of Ö you have all these options for what is going to work best with your subject.

Marc:  Brian how do you get the mojo in a photograph?

Brian:  The mojo in a photograph?  If I knew how to get the mojo in a photograph every time it would always be there.   Sometimes you get really, really lucky.  I think the best thing that you can do is put all the elements into place, then be willing to shake it up and go in a completely different direction.  I think that's where the mojo comes from:  it comes from planning and then being willing to deviate from that plan.  All of a sudden something much better presents itself, you have to make sure you don't get in the way of a better photograph than you've planned.  You plan ahead, but then plan to be flexible.

Marc: Gotcha.  Alright, any final tips for photographer's who just want to become better at their craft?

Brian:  I think one of the keys to getting better is practice, go out and shoot, and shoot, and shoot.  You get more comfortable with technique.  It becomes something that you don't focus on.  I think that one of the keys, particularly working with people, is not to have the distraction of 'how do I like this?', 'How do I technically make this work?'  You want that to become second nature, and it's like anything in life, the more you do it the more comfortable you can be with it.

Marc:  You got it.  Brian, thanks for joining us on Advancing Your Photography.

Brian: Thank you Marc.  Thank you.