Above: Image by Gina Milicia When I was a kid and someone asked me “and what do you want to do when you grow up Gina?” my answer was always the same. “I’m going to be an artist.” I always got the same response, a small knowing smile, that I interpreted as “wow, how cool. Everyone should be an artist. It’s like, the best thing ever!” It wasn’t until I was in my mid-late teens that well-meaning friends and family started to comment on my career choice. “Yes, but what are you going to do to make money dear? Art isn’t a real job. It’s a hobby.” Or… “Don’t become an artist, you’ll end up starving in a garret.” This confused me because I didn’t know what a garret was (it’s small living space, like an attic). Luckily for me, I’m a rebel by nature and pretty much ignored all the advice...

This simple little tip will make a big impact on how you view your images. When working in the Develop Module in Lightroom tap “L” on your keyboard once to dim the filmstrip and tool panels around your image. Lights out mode (Dimmed) removes distractions but still lets you view filmstrip and tools. Tap on “L” again to completely block out the area around your image. Blocking out the area around your image removes distractions and makes it much easier to judge brightness, contrast and colour tones.

Above: Image by Gina Milicia “Authenticity starts in the heart.” —Brian D’Angelo When I was a few years into my photography career, I discovered the lighting, posing and directing formula for shooting portraits that gave me consistent results. Finally, I could relax on my shoots and stop stressing about my exposure and awkward looking images. I was 100% convinced I had mastered photography and spent the next couple of years shooting on autopilot. Hack (definition): a person, as an artist or writer, who exploits, for money, his or her creative ability or training in the production of dull, unimaginative, and trite work; one who produces banal and mediocre job in the hope of gaining commercial success  The problem with getting comfortable with the formula is that my work became boring, clinical and lacked depth. The lights were on, but nobody was home. “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but...

Above: Image by Gina Milicia Inspiring words from Charles Bukowski: “I don’t think it hurts, sometimes, to remember where you came from…They call it ‘9 to 5.’ It’s never 9 to 5… And what hurts is the steadily diminishing humanity of those fighting to hold jobs they don’t want but fear the alternative worse. People simply empty out. They are bodies with fearful and obedient minds. The colour leaves the eye. The voice becomes ugly. And the body. The hair. The fingernails. The shoes. Everything does. As a young man, I could not believe that people could give their lives over to those conditions. As an old man, I still can’t believe it. What do they do it for? … An automobile on monthly payments? Or children? Children who are just going to do the same things that they did? … Now in industry, there are vast layoffs…They are layed...

I’ve combined my four great loves, photography, Sicily, travel and teaching to create the ultimate photography experience. I’m so excited to show you my beautiful Island of Sicily and share the lighting, posing and post-production techniques I use. I’ve partnered with the best Sicily tour guide in the world, Carmel Ruggeri of Sicilian Food Tours. We’ve been doing these tours together since 2013 and having a blast! Carm will take care of us during our stay and take us to authentic Sicilian villages and locations off the beaten track. Carm is a successful and much-loved restaurateur so we will be privy to some of the best Sicilian food and wine and hospitality. I can’t wait to work with you! For more information or to download a brochure head to https://www.sicilianfoodtours.com/gina-milicia-sicilian-photography-tour-2020 Bookings: [email protected]

Above: Image by George Barris Above: Image by Cecil Beaton Above: Image by Gene Korman    If I’m showing my model how to stand, where to look and what to think about while I take their portrait then how much is the portrait about them and how much is it about me? I believe a great portrait is a collaboration between the photographer and their model. A great portrait photographer has the ability to reveal a side of their model that nobody else will see in quite the same way. You only have to look at portraits of the very famous to see just how different they look when they are photographed by different photographers. Have a look at this selection of images of Marilyn Monroe, one of the most iconic women in history. Three different photographers show three completely different sides of Marilyn. Yes, they are all images of...

Above: Image by Gina Milicia Fuji XT-3 “We don’t see things as they are. We see them as we are.” -Anais Nin Are you an optimist or a pessimist? How you perceive the world and everything that happens around you will have a huge impact on the type of portraits you take. If you are a positive person who always tries to find the good in every situation your portraits will probably reflect that. A pessimist is always looking for the negative in every situation and so if you see the glass as half empty your portraits may reflect the darker side of the models you photograph. I like to think I’m a fairly optimistic person and seek out the positive side of people I photograph. I’m constantly seeking out ways to flatter the people I photograph and make them appear positive and beautiful and joyful.

”We’re all just walking each other home.” – Ram Dass

“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.” — Aaron Siskind When we mention the word ‘portrait’ today we think of selfies of Instafamous models showing off their six packs, duck-lipped reality TV stars or Jan from accounts on vacation. With billions of portraits being shared daily it’s easy to take the significance of this art form for granted. The first recorded likeness of a person was created by the Egyptians over 5000 years ago. Back in those days, you had to be a member of the Royal family or a Beyonce or Bezos to have a portrait created of you. If Jan from accounts lived in the Egyptian times, she would never be afforded the luxury of having her holiday memories of her trip down the Nile recorded for...