In the latest episode of Marc Silber’s Photography Show, I interview accomplished dance and commercial photographer RJ Muna, who has made a career out of crafting innovative art. Aside from being a regular in such magazines as Commercial Arts and American Photography, RJ has won over 150 national awards, including the International Center of Photography’s Infinity Award for Applied Photography and the Lucie Award for Best Commercial Photographer.
In our interview, RJ fills us in on his preferred style, offers some helpful tips on getting the right lighting for your shoot and tells us what it’s like to photograph professional dancers. Here’s some more advice from the interview:
1. Develop a concept — Having a well-thought out concept is RJ’s essential ingredient for developing a great photo shoot. For him, the conceptual underpinning is the most important aspect. Once that is in place, all else follows.
2. How to get the right lighting — Try to start with one light, and determine where that will come from (whether it’s above, to the side, etc.). Then from there you can start to fill in the edges with key or edge lights.
3. Dance photography — When dancers come into RJ’s studio, he allows them to move freely before shooting, and then picks up on each dancer’s unique personality. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to be passionate about what you are shooting — “there is nothing more exciting than watching a human body in motion,” he says.
4. The magical element — To capture that elusive bit of magic in your work, RJ offers some great advice: try to do something off balance from what you would expect. Put a new spin or angle on the standard, and that little bit extra will make it unique.
To see more insights into perfecting the art of photography, check out my interview with RJ Muna. Also, be sure to check out more of RJ’s work at his website, RJMuna.com.