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Crooked water

There was one time I was duck hunting with some friends. Beautiful morning, bagged a couple of ducks everything was going great. Then all of a sudden a storm comes up, the lake turns into a monster. We are in this little flats boat, waves and wind like you couldn't believe. The lake has some flooded timber areas and we took refuge there and hoped it would pass. It never did. Good thing out captain knew how to maneuver the boat back to safety. There were many reports of boats capsized and even deaths through-out the area on that day.

· Crooked Lake, photography, Rapidview, Ricahrd Pearson

Supermodels tips for mortals.

Recently I was invited to a social event, that in the past would have filled me with HUGE anxiety. It would have bought up all my body image issues and left me fretting for hours on end.
Thanks to this when I got an invitation to a fashion event I got excited instead.
Clutching my brother's lovely girlfriend as my plus one, we headed out for a night surrounded by models and fabulous clothes. These weren't clothes I would ever be able to wear. But I'm in a place now where I can appreciate their beauty, and admire how lovely other people look in them.
I was also able to enjoy the lovely platters of food being handed round with equanimity, safe in the knowledge no one else was going to eat them!
And I had a brainwave.
Models always look great in photos. Now obviously they have a head start on mere mortals such as myself, with the whole long and lean thing going on. But I decided to ask them for some tips on how to take a good photo. Because sometimes I'd like to be able to email a photo to friends where I'm not wiping food off the face of one of my offspring, or have a bra strap dangling out of nowhere.
With the help of a kind photographer who is a friend, and a generous minded supermodel (she is pictured with me below) I am able to share the pearls of wisdom I gleaned.

Supermodel Tip No 1.

Hand on lower hip. NOT your actual hip. This will elongate your arm. Now for those who are blessed with extra arm padding like me this tip is actually very useful.

Supermodel Tip No 2.

Your hips must be side on to the camera, and then swivel the upper half of your torso to face the camera directly. Like so. (This also has the unexpected benefit of making my chest look bigger than it is. Nature was extraordinarily unfair in the way it distributed my padding)

Supermodel Tip No 3

When you're in a group make sure you're in the centre of the photo. Avoid the ends of group photos. This allows one to be, well, covered by other group members. Voila!

As well as meeting fashion designer Ruth Tarvydas of whom I am a big fan, I had a great time with my brother's girlfriend. Everyone we met and chatted with that night was so lovely and friendly. Thank you so much Shaun for taking these photos and Nicole for your generosity in sharing your knowledge on how to take a good photo.
And Bern thank you for inviting me!
Do you have any tips for taking a good photo?

· friendship, fun, photography