Looking for any females interested in modeling for me while I am in LA between August 30th and September 3rd. Consider this a free intime session. No experience necessary, just need to be motivated and adventurous. Serious inquiries email me at “yangphotography” at Gmail.

Anyone who knows my work can guess one of my favorite location or settings to shoot would be on the bed. The bigger the better, but apparently there are California Kings, Super Kings, and then there’s Grand King mattresses. I’d like to find a place with a Grand King and see how many ladies can fit (just kidding). I prefer to spoil one lucky woman and give the whole estate to her.

There’s not a better ice breaker than to share a soft, warm, plushy surface you both have to crawl around to get the right angles and shots. It’s comfortable, it’s relaxing, it’s intimate, and it’s affordable! No permits required and no public eyes gazing in. If it’s their own bed, they are even more familiar and comfortable, and it opens up all new possibilities.

Whether it’s a large window with natural light or just a night stand lamp, I almost always use the Canon 50mm 1.4 USM. Shooting at f/1.8 allows plenty of ambient light to soak in to the frame. Most people are too caught up on specs and rules, minimum shutter speed and aperture, must use telephoto for portraits, etc. Instead, I concentrate first on getting as much light into the frame as possible, the sharpness and depth of field are secondary to me compared to the mood and the colors.

I remember practicing photography in college using only what I had available, the tungsten lamps. While very limited in control or brightness, it offers a simple understanding of how light and shadow works, since it is a constant light source. Ironically, years later having much experience with all types of lighting, I will still go back to using the lamps to create an intimate and real scene. Don’t forget the model also needs to be in the appropriate mood to express emotions you want to capture.

Next time you have a subject willing to be captured, don’t be afraid to ask to use his or her bed. I will save my favorite shooting and modeling positions in bed for another post.

For the rare times I do like shoot with clothes, I prefer casual/cute outfits over high fashion or fancy lingerie. There’s a playfulness about a sleeveless top and boy shorts that I will never get tired of shooting, and can watch her play with, stretch, tug, tease, and eventually slip off over and over until my eyes fall off. In the end, I want to capture someone you want to take home with you.

How many of you still sing in the shower? The last time I remember singing in the shower was probably middle school or earlier. Nowadays I just think about being as efficient as possible while cleaning the shower stall at the same time.  People always say the reverb in the shower stall is the best. Somebody should start a karaoke bar with shower stalls… or maybe I should just host one in my own bathroom with the ladies. I’m feeling dirty right now.

I love doing it in the back seat. Photo shoots that is. Unless you have a large budget for photo permits, it’s very difficult to find a public space to park a car and have a photo shoot without being stopped by officials. You’d be surprised with the hundreds or thousands of square miles of desert, there isn’t one location that’s not owned by a private owner or the state – so either you’re trespassing or parked illegally. I found a little spot was on the outskirts of the little city of Palm Springs, CA. I was hoping with the flash going off that it wouldn’t attract any attention from any patrol cars. Of course if I had a large warehouse or garage, I could have pulled off this shoot too. This setup was a Canon Speedlite 580 EX II with umbrella, attached to a Quantum Turbo battery on a light stand outside of the Volvo C70, triggered by Pocket Wizards.

One of my favorite quotes, “It’s not babies in the back seat that causes accidents. It’s accidents in the back seat that causes babies.”