Light Painting Tutorial

I recently attended a photographic tutorial on Light Painting.  Hosted by Bent Brae studios and given by the photographer David McLeavy it was a wonderful insight into the techniques and equipment involved in generating some extremely artistic and beautiful work.  I learned some things that didn't fit my expectations of what the process would be and got to give the technique a try myself.

Sometime soon am going to book a model and a studio to continue my experimentation.  Note to oneself - a very dark location is required... a studio that cannot be properly blacked out isn't going to cut it.
Also on the prep list - a good tripod, a cable release, a couple of powerful flashlights and a model patient enough to stay in one pose for the time intervals required.  In the meantime, I will be checking out the following sites for some additional inspiration:-

Chris Becker photography :: light painting
Wireheadarts
Digital Photography Tips From The Top Floor » tfttf66 - Painting with Light

My OneModelPlace downsized

It is with some reluctance that I reduced my subscription level in OneModelPlace, from silver to bronze membership. 

When I first started out I considered OneModelPlace as a good means of recruiting models. The website had a decent design and some handy functionality. However, I now find it increasingly easier to recruit models via other sites. 

Part of OMPs problem is that it hasn't evolved.  The services it charges a premium for are being offered for a lower cost, or free, elsewhere. Its pricing structure has not changed, as far as I am aware, in the few years in wihch I have been a member. Thanks to technologies like PhpBB it is getting pretty easy to set up your own DIY community site and many photographers and models are choosing to do just that.

The other major problem I have with OMP is that its a pretty US-centred site.  The site doesn't understand regions within countries outside the United States with the result that its location-based search facilities are not that useful.   When I search for models I am more interested in whether she lives close to me than whether she is 5'4" or 5'8'' and I am sure this is true of most other photographers.

The subscription fee I was being charged was my biggest single web-hosting/site membership cost and about half my hosting/marketing  budget. For the same amount of money I can get a podcast hosting account (so that I can distribute video and audio) plus another domain name or two, which is probably going to be a better way of marketing myself.