I have a confession to make. I have a substance abuse problem – I’m addicted to light modifiers. I know, I know, it’s not very sexy right? I mean, most women are addicted to shoes and handbags, but shoes and handbags don’t do it for me like a good softbox does. If you ask any woman why she needs 300 pairs of shoes she will be able to justify each purchase. Ditto for my light modifier collection. My addiction started out as something fairly harmless. It started with a small purchase that I made with friends one night. No harm done, but then I started to buy gear alone. My name is Gina Milicia and I’m a gear-aholic. It had been a long week. I’d just come off a series of grueling back-to-back shoots. I was exhausted but couldn’t sleep. My mind was running at a million miles an hour...

Photographing reflections can be tricky, but they can also add another dimension to your photography. While some photographers think reflections are annoying, they can also be a creative tool that can take your images to another level. In this episode, Gina and Valerie discuss where to look for reflections, how to use them to your advantage and what you need to do to achieve the look you want. Click play to listen to the podcast or find it on iTunes here. If you don’t use iTunes you can get the feed here, or listen to us on Stitcher radio. Show notes Shout outs Hugo Takes a Selfie | 8.5+ Years (via Ian Hulme)   Smart MacGyvers   Peter used the welding glass suggestion from the episode 73 (Filters). He says: “Welding glass would have been a shade 13. On my then new pride and joy 1100D with kit lens in Coffs...

In these amazing videos, Valerie Khoo goes behind the scenes with Gina as she snaps celebrites at The Logies. This is an extraordinary opportunity to see the work that goes in to create the photos that appear in magazines around the world. You will gain a new perspective into how much work goes into shooting an event like this!

What really goes on behind the scenes at the A-list television awards ceremony? Well, a lot! And from a photographer’s point of view of there are many issues to contend with. Apart from the technical aspects of the right lighting, you also need to understand posing and directing stars while you’re under a lot of pressure. In this episode, Gina and Valerie break down how Gina prepares for this kind of shoot, what gear to bring, how to set it up, and reveal the hacks and techniques you need to understand when you only have mere minutes to capture shots that are going to be featured on the front pages of national newspapers and magazines and following day. #ginachallenge #locationlocation Click play to listen to the podcast or find it on iTunes here. If you don’t use iTunes you can get the feed here, or listen to us on Stitcher...

I’ve got a confession to make. I’m a very convincing liar. I wasn’t born with this skill, it was developed in my childhood and perfected in my teen years. I learnt this skill out of necessity. I was raised by a very strict Sicilian born mother, who decided that it was in my very best interest to not date boys or go to parties until I was at least 18 years old. I became a master “liar, liar pants on fire”. The trick to becoming a convincing liar is believing your own spin. I would come up with a story to tell my mother and visualised myself in the situation as I told it. I didn’t know this at the time, but learning the fine art of lying to a Sicilian mother puts you in roughly the same rank as a secret agent. The slightest change in vocal tonality, tilt...

Are filters still relevant these days? When so much can be done to images in post-production, what filters do you really need? Gina and Valerie discuss why you still need filters, which ones are ideal for your photograph, and surprising ways that you can use them. You’ll also discover what you can do to MacGyver handy filters in any situation. #ginachallenge #filtered Click play to listen to the podcast or find it on iTunes here. If you don’t use iTunes you can get the feed here, or listen to us on Stitcher radio. Show notes Useful links Via Dan Barker EVERYBODY DIES, BUT NOT EVERYBODY LIVES Listener questions Jessica Booten asks: How do you use a tripod when shooting portraits without feeling klutzy? The answer is in the episode. Kari Doyle asks: Hey. My apologies if you have mentioned this in your podcast. I’m a bit late to the party...

Quote “Every single day, in every walk of life, ordinary people do extraordinary things.” – Jim Valvano

Valerie Khoo takes you on the road with Gina in the markets of Cebu in the Philippines. See Gina in action as she engages with strangers and brings out the best in them to snap truly stunning images.

I love taking photos on my iPhone. It’s always with me, and if you know a few simple tricks, you can take some decent shots with it. My favourite app is Snapseed, it’s awesome. I use it for all my smartphone editing. It’s so easy to use and creates really beautiful images on the go. In this demo, I show you how to: edit an image using the Snapseed App on a smartphone adjust brightness adjust contrast adjust mid-tones Download Snapseed for Android here Download Snapseed for iPhone here

On location in Cebu in the Philippines, Gina and Valerie talk about the next part of their adventure and how to photograph in exotic locations. They cover dealing with the camera condensation that’s prevalent in the tropics, handling the harsh light, how to find the good light, shooting total strangers, what “cake bread” really is – and much more. #ginachallenge #tropical Click play to listen to the podcast or find it on iTunes here. If you don’t use iTunes you can get the feed here, or listen to us on Stitcher radio. Show notes Shoutouts William Keeler ( True Grit Preset) Rossini Festival, Knoxville, TN. Photo Critique Sunny Izreal Hi all, I generally shoot my kiddos and friends at their various sports activities. This is from last night at martial arts belt testing. The light was dismal as you might imagine and my settings were 1/100, f3.5, ISO400 with my...