West38 Shares How To Make A Photography Portfolio

Welcome to the West38 blog. West38 help reveal individual talents and discover unique features according to your needs and strategy. In today's blog, we give you expert advice on designing a professional portfolio. Here are some tips you should think about when you are laying out your portfolio

Tips For Laying Out Your Book

1. Start and end with your strongest images!
2. Pre-plan EVERYTHING and be organized.
3. Use a program like InDesign or hand draw your layout before getting everything printed. It’s very easy to mess up while doing something that uses gutters by not knowing which image lies on each side of your book BEFORE having everything printed.
4. Look to magazines for inspiration on how to design your layout. W Magazine is top notch when it comes to art direction and layout. Check it out.
5. Get a second (third, fourth and fifth) opinion before finalizing your layout!
6. Still don’t know what to do? Check out No Plastic Sleeves to get inspired.
7. Look to other photographers who have shared their portfolios online. Joey L has a great post on how he created his portfolio.
8. Remember – your portfolio doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it doesn’t have to be a book at all!
9. If you’re unhappy with the “standard” come up with something new.
10. Whatever choices you make in how you present your portfolio make sure it represents you in a positive light and doesn’t detract too much attention away from the images within.

West38 Shares Street Photography Tips for Beginners

West 38 shares simple techniques for shooting close-up photos

West38 Talks About When to Use Natural Light in Photography

West38 shares Posing Tips

Welcome to the West38 blog. West38 is a photographic studio in the heart of NYC dedicated to working with and helping those looking to break into the talent and model industry. In this post, we’ll be discussing basic model poses for female models. Whether you are a model choosing a pose or a photographer posing your model, this is a decision that can shape the look of the image and therefore the success of the campaign.

Basic Model Poses. There are a few standard fashion poses. These are the stances we see in lookbooks, brochures, and online stores.


You can mix up the poses by turning your body (or your model) in different directions and by looking in different directions.

Seated Poses. A lot can be said with a seated pose. Think about:

• Whether the shot should be from below, above or equal height.
• Direction of knees and feet
• Be careful of making the shot too crotch-centric. You can use a hand or leg thrown casually in the foreground to stop this.
• Is the seat height right for the shot? If it looks or feels awkward, perhaps a lower or higher seat is required.
• Ensure that if you’ve previously been doing a standing pose, that the light is brought down to meet the new seated pose.

West38 On Beauty and Fashion Tips

Welcome to the West38 blog. In today's blog post you'll learn how to dress like a model. If you daydream about dressing like the models you see on the catwalk and in magazines read more.

Tip # 1. Be confident. Confidence is important.  You don’t see a model that’s not confident in the way she looks and the way she walks. A model sees the world as her stage. Being confident about your body, your size and your weight is the first step to looking or feeling like a model. You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t believe in yourself.

Tip # 2. Get inspiration. Emma Watson, Kendall Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift — They’re not only celebrities in their own right but are also making headlines in the fashion world. They can also make for great style inspirations.

Tip # 3. Be fashionable. Build your wardrobe and include classic and basic staples, such as white blouses, LBDs and cardigans. They are so easy to style and pair with other clothes that you’ll be able to create different ensembles. Plus,  they’ve stood the test of time so you’ll never go wrong with them.

Tip # 4. Know your body shape. Knowing your body type is a must and is a great advantage because you’ll be investing clothes that works best and looks good on your body shape.

And that’s about it. We don’t have to be model in order to look great, but we can look like one by following these tips. Just remember the word ‘model’ doesn’t always imply bone thin models. So love yourself and  your body.

West38 is a photographic studio in the heart of NYC dedicated to working with and helping those looking to break into the talent and model industry. West38's goal is to support, advise and instill confidence in everyone who visits the studio.Visit West 38 on our official website here. Click here to read West38 Reviews on yelp and more about West 38s Facebook page here for a quick guide to stealing a Victoria secret model looks without spending everything you have.

West 38s Night Photography Tips

Welcome to the West 38 photography blog. West 38 knows that photography, like most art forms, is about constantly developing your skills and pushing your creative boundaries. Here, we share beginner night photography tips so that you can nail shots almost every time. Read on to find out more.

USE A TRIPOD. This is a non-negotiable tool for night photography. In order to capture the sharpest image possible with the least amount of noise (low ISO), the exposure time will have to be longer than regular daylight photography.

SHOOT IN RAW. If you aren’t already recording your images in RAW format, then now’s a good time to start. RAW is a lossless format which means you’ll be able to extract more detail later in post-processing. Canon users: Go to the “settings” menu then click “quality” and choose “RAW”. Nikon users: Go to “shooting” menu then click “image quality” and choose RAW, then go to “image size” and choose “large”.

MANUAL FOCUS. Even pro-quality cameras can have trouble automatically focusing in very low light situations. So look for the focus switch labeled “AF/MF” on the side of your lens and move it to “MF”. Now you can turn the focus ring until the desired portion of the scene is in focus. Because your subject may be far away or dimly lit, it’s best to use “live view” mode (your camera’s LCD screen) to see more detail. Modern DSLRs will allow you to zoom in multiple times which is the key to ensure tack sharp night photos. Canon users: more details on “live view” Nikon users: more details on “preview zoom”

TURN OFF IMAGE STABILISATION. If your lens supports “vibration control” or “image stabilisation”, then turn it off when using a tripod. While it can be very handy for hand-held shooting, it will only add minute movements of its own.

CHOOSING  THE RIGHT WHITE BALANCE. If you’re shooting in RAW and the white balance is off, you can usually recover that in post-processing. But why make more work for yourself? Changing the white balance from “auto” to “sunlight” will produce true colors for most night cityscapes.

REMOVE UV FILTER. If you’ve attached a UV filter to your lens, you should remove it for night photography. The additional surfaces can cause refractions from moonlight, streetlights and illuminated signage. A lens hood is an alternative way to protect your lens, and in addition, keeps out unwanted stray light.

USE WIDE-ANGLE LENS. If your night scene needs more action or feels underwhelming, try using a wide-angle lens. A wider field of view will capture more of the scene and create a different effect.

FIND YOUR LENS SWEET SPOT.
Each lens is different, but most achieve maximum sharpness in their aperture mid-range. An easy rule of thumb is 2.5 to 3 stops from the maximum aperture. Here are a few typical situations: Maximum f/1.4 = sweet spot between f/2.8 and f/4   Maximum f/2.8 = sweet spot between f/5.6 and f/8  Maximum f/3.5 = sweet spot between f/8 and f/11

These tips are just the beginning of mastering night photography. I hope you’ve found them useful and will feel more confident next time you step outside to capture our beautiful world, day or night.

West 38 is a photographic studio in the heart of NYC dedicated to working with and helping those looking to break into the talent and model industry. Our goal is to support, advise and instill confidence in everyone who visits us. Contact West 38 on their official website here and like the official West 38 facebook page here and keep up to date with the latest photography tips and tricks.

WEST 38s Usable Photography Tips for Beginners