Heck, I am not sure, is the simple answer, I’ve not really thought about it all that much if I am being honest. Life is certainly different but not all that much different I suppose.

*_{Prince Charles visits junior recruits at Harrogate College HRH.}*

I am still in a position to stick to my own values and maintain a life balance that I had struggled a lot with in the old life.

_{Prince Charles braves the Yorkshire weather that disrespects umbrellas.}

I have been going through old photographs, I have not looked at for years and, sure they bring back memories, not all good but mostly, I would say. It’s natural to reflect though, you know, through those rose tinted glasses.

_{Prince Charles is introduced to recruits in the gymnasium. Nothing quite like traditional military presentations.}

As a photographer, I had some amazing experiences, some (not) so great experiences, but it was always interesting to witness things and try to remain neutral, which is not always possible. Doing this does help you in your approach to a job though.

_{A young recruit demonstrates his learned skills in navigation using a model.}

One thing I always tried to be with my photography was honest. Honest with myself, my observation and although true impartiality is challenging, if not impossible, I always wanted to tell a story without prejudice and I know I failed more often than I passed. I don’t berate myself too much because, I believe most photographers do. We are human, we are naturally affected by what we witness and that experience molds us.

*_{Army recruits in their boxing training gear meet the future King.}*

To be fair, most of my stories would not change the world, or change a perception, but that does not mean that my intention was, where possible to challenge. Some days I would be better than others, some days I outright failed, but most of us do.

*_{Prince Charles will most likely become the next King, we all hope, not for a long time but the reality is he is likely to, one day and recent events highlight this.}*

So, do I miss my old life? Not really. I had outgrown it some time ago, if I am being honest with myself. It was time to move on a few years ago, but that is all water under the bridge now. Change is constant and often happens at a snails pace so you don’t even recognise it. I try not to regret too much though, life is just too short. I always try to be a better version of myself today than I was yesterday. I don’t always manage that either, but I do try with honesty and I hope integrity.

*_{Prince Charles tries to talk with young recruits going through one of the most dramatic periods of change they will ever experience.}*

Page reset and new horizons…

October 28, 2018

Development, Military work, Portraits, Promotion

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It’s been quite a while since I posted on this site, which is because of a couple of reasons, which I won’t bore anyone with.

So, what’s been going on? 180925-GBR-Padre Smith Portraits-0013

Those that do know me or have been following this, I am a photographer in the British Army. I’ve served all over the world, in some great places… but, as I enter the final two years of my career in the military (which is a shame), I’m looking at expanding my horizons and looking at setting myself up in business as a photographer in the big wide world. I know this is a daunting process…

So what is going to happen?

181024-GBR-3XX Fire Power Demo Copehill Down-0187-MN

I’m going to use this page to show, what I do day to day, to tell you what I learn about setting up a business, and what training I undertake.

A photographic page would be nothing without photos, so I have included some of the images I have captured in the last couple of weeks.

181027-GBR-Gloucester Poppy Match-0152

If anyone would like to offer advice or ask more specific questions, then let me know and I will get back to you.

In the mean time, I will get back on this page, show what I have been up to since I last posted on here.

181024-GBR-3XX Fire Power Demo Copehill Down-0214-MN

Thanks for listening.

Never work with kids and animals? Why not?

January 7, 2017

Portraits

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One of the hardest things to do is to juggle jobs. I already have a busy and very demanding job. It is photography based, although has become more of a management and administrative role, which obviously opens new challenges, but I really miss the hands on with a camera side. especially in the studio. So, this year, I am planning to up the anti on my studio work.

What better way to do that than to offer people lots of free stuff?

Now I have run these things before and they have proven to be very popular. So I am going to open up a studio for a weekend, here in sunny (not today) Middle Wallop. I have booked the community center for the 28th and 29th Jan 2017 and plan to open for some studio portraits.

Saturday will be for children. These will be for one on one portraits, so I can work on some new styling (lighting) ideas. Each shoot will cost £5.00 (what? I thought it was free?), well yes, the £5 goes to Cancer Research completely and the shoot will last for 30 mins (so I will need you all to book 30 min slots), and you will receive a complimentary 8 x 6 in print from the shoot. OK, you don’t get anything for free, right? Well that’s true, I guess. I will need a signature which will allow us to use the images for promotional purposes, although this does not mean we will.

We will be looking at making some really stylish contemporary portraits, that you would love to hang as works of art on your wall.

On the Sunday, we will be doing the same, but with your pets. I have done these things before, so I do kind of know what I am getting myself into, lol.

As I said, all the booking fee will go to Cancer research, as this is an ailment that pretty much touches us all. Who has not had a family member or friend that has not had to battle?

The whole point is that we want to do something with the community, build a reputation and if we can make the odd sale or booking then that is an added bonus… 😉

We will have some other work up and on display. so feel free to come and visit.

Oh, did I say we can do family portrait sessions and weddings too? No? Well, now you know. We look forward to seeing you there?

To book, you will need to call either Roxy or Mark on 01264 781461 and when prompted say ‘Studio Open weekend’. Please call in the evenings though, after 1830.

Please note that this is a session for individual portraits only, no groups or multiples this time. We will be looking at running other themed shoots during the year, so send us your ideas.

Our brand new sprinkler system

December 5, 2014

Portraits

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Safety is always a concern in the studio, as it should be. So I thought I would share our newly installed sprinkler system!

Taken from a recent new born baby shoot.

On meeting Martin Parr

October 18, 2014

Opinion, Portraits, Promotion

2 Comments

I will admit that before I actually went to meet and photograph Martin Parr, I knew very little about him. I knew of some of his work, I know he is a “Magnum” photographer. Apart from that I knew little else.

Martin Parr? Who is Martin Parr? I know some who read this will not have a clue. Now having met him, I have a better idea.

He is pleasant, a little distant (until he gets to know you a little), pretty scruffy, well actually he is very scruffy. What does that even matter.

His photographic work is quite recognisable, he tends to use direct flash, and was a pioneer in the use of colour film on the ‘art scene’. He then started to develop using a ring flash with amateur film creating very saturated detail shots.

The upshot was he was eventually invited to join ‘Magnum’, the photographers group which started post WW2. He funnily recalls the fact that he is the only photographer to be accepted into Magnum twice. He explains that to gain access to this prestigious club, you need approval from 75%. He was awarded access by one vote, only for a latecomer to then vote ‘No’. He was out again. The ‘Yes’ campaigners then rallied around and found one of their own stuck in hospital, so a quick visit, another ‘Yes’ vote and Martin was again voted in.

Martin had been invited, well commissioned actually by the Sprengel museum, in Hannover to compile a body of work for an exhibition looking at the British influence in Lower Saxony, a large county of the German Bundesrepublic. The county has been strongly linked with the British for centuries, especially after the Royal links with the house of Hannover. On his travels for the project he was introduced to the British Military, a force he was not expecting to be too influential for the project, but turned out to be a major contributor.

Anyway, I digress, this is not about the exhibition, this is about him. Oh and me ;).

How do you approach a subject like Martin Parr? Love him or not, he has built a life out of photography, he is in Magnum for f*@$ sake. In the plain for photography, I am on the foot hills where as he is at the top of an Alpine peak. I wanted to get some portraits that included the exhibition. I won’t say I was overwhelmed, I felt ok. I knew he has a lot of portraits of people that do look awkward, it is a style thing with him (possible over simplified). I wondered if I could do the same. In hind sight I think I could have done better but then is that not photography?

You decide. What I will say though, if you are near to Hannover and have some time, go and see the exhibition. Having spoken to the photographer, perhaps I have that extra dimension, but it is great to see these images in their prime. The quality and vibrancy will never be as good in print or on the Web. It is always better to see art in the flesh.

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL5357TF

Pushing boundaries and why.

November 1, 2013

Development, Portraits

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Now I do like working in the studio very much but I don’t really get to spend as much time in there as I would like. When I do work in the studio, it is with mostly family work. I do find it quite difficult in Germany (not speaking the language) to find willing models to give up their time free of charge.

When I am in the studio it does tend to be just me and the subjects, as another difficult contact can be a Make up artist.

Recently I was approached randomly by a Make up artist who had just moved into the area at exactly the same time as a local amateur model had emailed me to work together.

For me the whole point of doing these TFP (time for print) shoots is to try things out, be it lighting or style. The same needs to be said for the model and the MUA. Otherwise the relationship just cannot work.

Anything that questions what we have done before and pushes you as an artist involves boundaries and without doing these shoots you will never progress and move forward. It is easy for an artists work especially for commercial shoots to kind of become stale and dull. You have to take chances and get yourself out of those comfort zones. Usually you are surprised what happens and where it takes you.

The ‘SCURGE’ of photography and a client education

October 18, 2013

Opinion, Portraits

2 Comments

As I write this I have just discovered that another good friend of mine has been ‘ripped off’ by a so called professional photographer. Why am I pissed off? Simple, because every time this happens the effect is felt throughout the whole industry. I have been a professional photographer for over ten years now and I do not know all there is about photography. It has taken years to build a reputation, a style and a direction. There is no short cuts for this,

There have always been con men and women, that is nothing new, but the recent progress in photography has made this a breeding ground for minimum risk chancers. It is easy to set up a website, operate for a few weeks and then vanish.

Everyone is aware of the massive increase in photographers available and offering you their skills. This is both good and bad. Good because it has removed much of the elitist attitudes and competition is always good. Bad because most clients know little or nothing about the industry and how it should operate to be able to make an informed choice.

The papers are always telling stories of a bride and groom duped into giving away their hard earned money and being heart broken when the resulting images are not at all what they expected.

So how can I help?

I am going to give prospective clients 5 tips to reduce the risk.

1. Do your research. Visit the photographers website (no website should set alarms going), check their galleries. Is their work of a quality you would be happy with? Are the images of a similar style? Are they creative images? Visit their Blog (most have them now), do their blog entries match their website in quality and style? Look for endorsements but don’t trust them out of hand, anyone can write a few words. Be more trusting of personal recommendations although this is not always possible.

2. Speak to the photographer and meet them before any booking. Check the quality of their work on their walls, again, does it match the website for quality and style? Ask to see any other imagery that they have done that is not on their website or blog. Always ask to see a complete wedding if that is what you want to hire your photographer for. That could be either a digital display or a copy of the wedding album. Be cautious if they refuse, why would they?

3. Make sure the photographer has insurance. This should mean that you are protected to some degree. If your wedding photographs are ruined then this insurance will cover for this.

4. Get an contract. This should be an agreement like an email identifying what you should expect may suffice in many cases. I have had instances as a photographer where a client has said to me ‘but I thought I was going to get A, B and C’, the contract is there to protect the photographer as well as the client. Make sure you read and understand what is written.

5. Be cautious with up front payments. Most photographers will charge you some kind of sitting fee, this is to be expected. Make sure you know what you are getting for that. You should however expect to pay up front for a wedding (this is standard practice) so seeing as much evidence of the photographers work as possible is a must.

These simple suggestions will not remove the risk completely, but may minimise it. Photography is subjective and in any dispute, if the images are well composed and exposed correctly, you might find any judgement does not go in your favour. Make sure you actually like the work you have been shown.

A photographers web site should only contain images that they have taken themselves or within a larger company, although there have been instances where photographers put stock imagery on their page, so their website has professional imagery.

These points are not an exhaustive list but a mere five suggestions that will help minimise your risk.

It’s all in the exposure, and a day out with my daughter

September 27, 2013

Development, Portraits

2 Comments

Photography is as popular now as it has ever been, with many households in the west owning at least one reasonable SLR (or so it would seem). The instant viability of the image means that if you miss the first shot you can adjust your settings and have another go (in many cases). We take many more photographs than we used to and probably as a result this has actually devalued the image. We can simply take another shot, means that getting it right first time is not important…

The number of people I speak to who tell me that photography is actually not that easy, they went out and bought a really great camera that has all these buttons and hey, “why can’t I get the background to blur?”, or “my photo’s were too dark”, to name a couple.

Whilst it is true that the newer cameras are technologically advanced and will continue to be so, there is a skill, a skill that is totally reliant on knowing the principals and more importantly being able to and understanding how to manipulate them.

I have been toying with the idea of dabbling with film for some time now, and have recently bought an old large format ‘Speed Graphic’ or press camera from the 40’s and 50’s. It is a big beast (not the biggest), and I have yet to find the memory card slot, let alone the playback screen.

The fact of the matter I plan to work on some portraiture and possibly the odd landscape, and the exposure needs to be spot on. So I decided to play around with some exposure techniques. The first I tried was a rather clunky and simple method, where I take a spot meter reading from the lightest part of the face and then for my daughter I over exposed the whole image by 1.3 stops. The exposure alteration will vary depending on the lightness of the skin. The reason for this is the light meter will try to make your selected area mid grey, but for my daughter that would make her look too dark. There is an element of trial and error to start with but as you look at your subject you will get to know what adjustment to make.

Any way back to the subject, I had decided not to view any of the images until I was finished and my daughter was eating her promised ice cream. Although not the same as film I wanted to add that little bit of pressure to the process as it was not that easy to re shoot if they had not come out. It’s all part of the mind set needed for film.

The images in this entry are those from the walk and as you can see I did not get too many. But the exposures were exactly what I wanted and apart from a little split toning or desaturating in Lightroom, they are as they came out of the camera.

These images were taken on a D800 with a prime 105mm f2 lens and manual focus.

SLOW DOWN AND GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME!

Best laid plans and chomping on a bit or reality

August 7, 2013

Development, Portraits

2 Comments

With a blog comes great responsibility…….or does it?

I look here today and realise that it has been almost two weeks since my last post. Me bad! Wait though, there is a reason for it. I have been really busy trying to rush those last bits of work before I go on a break with my family on Friday. I know, I hate hearing myself say it. Busy just seems like a lame reason.

So what have I been doing? Well the fact of the matter is babies, or new born’s. A particular genre that really is a skill and there is no substitute for experience. Well photographically I have committed a cardinal sin, in my eyes out of necessity. These shots have to be done in a very small window of opportunity at a time when a new family scrambles to get used to the tremendous upheaval. So the plan was to offer a few (small number) new families the chance to get some portraits of their new baby at absolutely no charge. There will be photographers now swooning at this as the something for nothing situation is what has got this industry into it’s condition.

In my defence, I had not shot babies this young before, my studio was not equipped for it and I really was not sure what to expect. All facts that I ensured the parents were made aware of before hand. You can’t exactly tell a ten day old baby what to do can you?

A chance to play with new ideas, new colours, new styles was amazing, a recent trip to the UK meant I could pick up some simple supplies like wooden flooring and some really amazing blankets.

The end results? Well after all they are subjective and I fully understand that not everyone will like them but the response from the parents has been amazing. I have another string to my bow and I do feel that my photography has made a step too.

Revisiting the past and the affirmation of your choices

June 13, 2013

Afghanistan, Military work, Portraits

2 Comments

We make potentially life changing decisions on a regular basis, we react to our surroundings our experiences and try to make the best choices we can.

When I joined the British Army all that time ago, I joined as the Royal Military Police (there goes half my readers), I had an amazing introduction to Army life and the life has changed me so much in a positive way I no longer remember the shy timid person I was. Anyone still with me?

I am now a photographer with the Royal Logistic Corps (there goes the other half), and the job I do has an essential need for this confidence. I don’t think I am an overbearing person, well not until a couple too many sociables… er hello?

I look back on my RMP days with pride, I still have many friends in their ranks, although ever being replaced with young people who are obviously too young to even be in the Army. I have nothing but great memories even patrolling in the Arctic circle in -40. It is fair to say I even miss it from time to time. It’s all gone very quiet in here.

Do I have any regrets? Well the really honest answer is no, why would I. I can put my hand on my heart now and tell you I quite possibly have the best job in the Army, in fact if Heineken……..

As you can see from these images I covered a recent parade in Germany as part of the withdrawal from Germany. A sad day because after such a long time, ties with the local community are inevitable and once we depart they will need to much more work to try and keep them alive.

Now I do try to keep in contact with quite a few of my old mates, so this does mean I have on occasion socialised with RMP, although I am now talking to myself now. I accept I miss being with a bunch of guys that do a great job and yet receive little recognition (nor do they crave it). That said, I now have new skills that enable me to show them off a little now, although not often. I enjoy working with them and I hope I do them justice.

I guess all I am trying to say is this. Life is too short to have regrets, look back and smile, look forward and focus on whatever you see ahead. Oh and don’t live in fear of the unknown.

A fresh perspective.

June 10, 2013

Afghanistan, Portraits

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For those of you that have been following this blog for some time, you may remember that a little over a year ago, I returned from a tour of Afghanistan. An interesting time and an opportunity to capture some amazing pictures. Well they mean a lot to me.

On my return an artist saw one of the portraits I had made and asked if they could interpret it with pastels. This morning I got an email with the end result. I just wanted to share it as I think a lot of the character has been captured here. It is perhaps a little unfair to see both media side by side but I wanted to show that it is not a direct copy, there is definitely an artists interpretation which I think is so important.

Let me know what you think.

The Artist is my Dad and he only began doing this after he retired.

All the fun of the fair and getting your balance

April 22, 2013

Portraits, Uncategorized

2 Comments

Being a professional photographer comes with pressure. Probably mostly from within. Not always though. Do I want to see any bad images out there to reflect my skill or lack of it?

There are always times when photography should come second. Family time is precious and there are few times as our children grow up that we can spend that quality time together…….. but I must take my camera…… I must…… you never know when that killer shot will show you an opportunity.

True.

Fairgrounds are so much fun, especially as a child (we had three kids with us), the colour is amazing, the speed, the screams, the laughter, the food. They are great fun to shoot too, but quite challenging. I wanted to take a few images but still keep the balance with spending some of that quality time together.

One model, three looks.

April 3, 2013

Development, Portraits

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Lighting in the studio is simply never ending, there are so many possibilities. Different intensity, direction, modifiers, sources and on and on. The opportunity to play with the D800 for the first time in the studio was a big motivator too.

I enjoy working in the studio for its control-ability. The only way to learn is to practice and play with the light. Some of the things you can do with light is simply amazing.

Most of my lighting set-ups are either one or two lights and getting the simple lighting to work is the most difficult. As you begin to understand how the light will work, you learn to manipulate it the way you want to.

So with a couple of hours, a willing model and having some ideas before hand, you can come out with some decent results. Now how can I get it better?

The cheek of the job!

March 7, 2013

Military work, Portraits, Sport / Action

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Just a quick one today. As I wait once again for the computer to keep up with me, it is an ideal opportunity to post some images from a recent Skiing competition I was covering.

These images are only a few, please enjoy, some of them highlight the great humour of the British soldier….

Others are those type of skiing shots you may be used to seeing.

A scatter approach and the continuous search

March 5, 2013

From the Archive, Military work, Opinion, Portraits

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This week I had been asked to put a few words together for a biography on our work Facebook page. Actually not the easiest thing I have done if I am honest! Harder still was the effort (and time) required to go through my back archive to find some images to include. With ten years as a working professional, you inevitably gather a fair collection and even when you concede that half of that time was working with the more secret aspect of the military (and therefore have no imagery to show for it), I was surprised just how difficult this was.

This was one of those situations that is surreal, I captured this shot before understanding what had happened. At the time there had been a couple of shootings by Iraqi troops and this was taken on a training day. This guy was keen to point his AK-47 at me for the photo and there is a magazine fitted, I never knew if he had live or blank ammunition in it. I was lucky I guess.

I think at times it is good to look behind you, to see and consider what you have done in the past because the reality is the past is what has shaped who you are today. I am a believer in the acceptance we are really only the sum of our experiences, they shape us, they mold our character and personality.

One of the things we like to try and do is get the story in one picture. This was the Hajj pilgrimage, and the first time since the conflict that Basrah international airport had been open for the pilgrims.

As I have stated before, Buddhists believe that life is suffering, and we all endure hardships in life, some more than others granted but it is there. The real test is how we come to deal with these tests, and in this case I mean the emotional response rather than the physical one. How we look at a situation will inevitably affect how we deal with it, but any response will also involve a measured adjustment too. What I mean by this can be illustrated by nature. Two male lions fight to take control. A fight ensues that could easily mean the death of one of them. Both probably begin the fight with the same kind of emotional response and aggression, however pretty soon one will realise they are probably going to lose. How do they respond? Well they have a choice. They can continue or flee, if they continue they could get lucky (if they are thinking rationally) and if they flee they may survive. Is either response wrong? Probably not but they are worlds apart. You could even consider that the weaker one may have entered the fight without really expecting to win but understanding that to fight is expected.

Sometimes it is simply about an aesthetic, during a military music show, this one soldier was lit by a spotlight as he shouted his commands, I just liked the shot for its controlled lighting,

Life in the military has a reputation of being tough and much of the time it is, however humour is also so important. The bi-annual ‘Red nose day” provides opportunity.

The longer you consider the situation you can start to see different motivations or responses. These days as human beings we are not exposed to these kind of choices, but the reality remains.

It’s all about the lighting and finding a way to tell a story. This shot, taken at sunset is a simple story of water being dropped in the middle of a desert for an operation. A tiny bit of flash was needed to bring out the boxes of water, otherwise they would just have been silhouettes.

There are times when you are just in the right place at the right time. This shot was taken as the sun set on New Years Eve 2007. The Lynx was coming in to land fast and I had the time to capture this shot.

Anyway I kind of digressed there. To have the opportunity to look at my past work was good and bad. I remembered some of the experiences and cringed at some of the images. Any creative process is simply that, a process. I see images today vastly differently to what I did ten years ago. But I do that because of the experiences I have been through. My experiences are my own and each of us have had completely different ones. I feel now that the past has improved me and I only hope that it continues to for many years to come because this is the future and it excites me that the best is yet to come…

This is one of those shots that is technically dull but it is the details in observation that make it work.

This shot was taken on a routine patrol outside Basrah, looking for rocket rails. This shot was just a part of a selection used for a bio slideshow of trooper Whittfield that can be seen here; http://vimeo.com/26632974 This shot did also end up used by the Guardian to illustrate a story they did on budgets in the MOD. You can never control the use of your images I suppose.

Bring on that warm fuzzy feeling.

I loved this shot for what it stood for rather than the breathtaking quality (ha ha), this was a common sentiment from the Iraqi troops, they were generally proud of their involvements.

This shot does need some explaining. This is a drill (not real), the injured soldier is made up to give soldiers the realistic chance of dealing with an horrific injury, one they may expect to come to deal with. All I really remember now is the sickening smell of the fake blood, it smelled of overpowering make up.

Thank you for listening.

So then, why the title? Having just read it back it seems a bit of a tangent and perhaps it is. I was actually referring to this blog. I have been struggling with how to follow my last entry. What on earth do you follow an article on Belsen? Then I looked further back. This blog is personal, that is a fact, I am sharing my experiences and as an Army photographer I can deal with the full range of things. The horror of Belsen one minute, to soldiers skiing the next. They are not connected but as I experience them they are all important to me. I want to approach each situation with professionalism. I only hope this comes across.

What’s it all about? and what IS the magic of photography?

February 20, 2013

Opinion, Portraits, Wedding

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Wow, heavy, or is it?

Today we were informed by WordPress that we have now reached our second anniversary, where does the time go?

How do you begin to approach questions like ‘What’s it all about’? Well I suppose every single one of us would give a different answer and more than that, your answer would differ almost daily…

The question always reminds me of a Michael Caine line used in a song by Carter USM and it always makes me smile, not for any other reason than the acceptance that we all pose the question to ourselves at one time or another. It’s only natural.

So what is this blog all about? Well I am under no illusion that this gets seen by millions of people, tens of people is something…. This is a tool of my trade, a business tool an opportunity to shout about what we are doing, what our plans and ambitions are, so show some examples of our work, to interest you (well you can’t have it all I suppose), but ultimately a way of connecting. There is no malice, just what is intended to be an honest approach. The trouble with the written word is context. The skill in writing is just that, but often over looked is the skill in reading. Most of us don’t really understand punctuation, me included. Where should that colon come in, why does the apostrophe go there and how does the comma in a certain place change the meaning of the sentence? Yes it is fair to say, I am not the best at writing, but I try. We all communicate with each other, and talking is the best way because quite simply, the voice naturally has the natural inflexions that enhance the words themselves and make the meaning come to life. to give it context, to make it easier to understand. I think it is far easier to misunderstand the written word than not and possibly the other way around for the spoken word. That is not to say, the spoken word is never misunderstood because we all know it is.

I guess it makes sense then that unless you are certain the writer of some text is excellent and you have confidence that you read well, you should never take what you read too literally. Easier said than done! I know…. The more I write the more I understand just how artistic writing can be.

This leads me onto the next question, what IS the magic of photography? Well apart from being a tag line for this blog, photography for many has always had that allure of magic. If you go back to thee old film days (many of us view with a nostalgic tear), the actual process of creating an image onto a piece of glass or gelatin is nothing short of ingenious. Using the right chemicals at the correct temperature for the exact amount of time to develop the latent image is nothing less than astonishing. To see an image form on a blank piece of paper in the darkroom will always amaze me, it feels like magic. Of course I know it is not, it is chemistry but I will never fully understand the process so no matter how much I research it, I like the feeling I get that I am witnessing a little miracle.

Photography has changed in many ways in recent years and like any development, change is never all good, but usually it is also never all bad either. It is true the chemistry has gone, but the technological change is as dramatic and breath taking as the original process. How modern digital cameras capture what they do, well there simply has to be an element of magic in there somewhere.

Again though, this is not all there is, the magic goes beyond that. Surely the magic is in the emotion that a still image can portray? The capture of a genuine smile, the love displayed in a wedding photograph, the drained exhaustion of a brand new mother holding their baby, the satisfaction of having received your scroll from University, the list goes on and on. The capture of these things remind us of those moments and allow us to relive them, to remember. This is the real magic of photography, a simple two dimensional print or image can be so much more than that. In fact in cases where families have lost all their belongings in a fire often say that the hardest to come to terms with is the loss of their photos. Makes you think….

Keeping up with myself and losing the battle

February 3, 2013

Development, Portraits

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For those few of you that keep up to date with me, good luck. I can not even keep up with myself at times. I have many projects on the go, some of which are all about using my lucky and very fortunate situation as an Army photographer. The British Army is a diverse place, there are opportunities everywhere but many will inevitably fall outside of the job description. So for these I operate in my own time. I know (or I have a better idea) where I want my photography to go, I can kind of see the future (and for a ginger, it may just be Orange after all). When I embarked on this career, I was honest with myself and admitted it was a resettlement course, only I began with 14 years left to do.

As any kind of photographer, you are always looking around at the world around you, the influences you can draw on and the ideas others have, constantly wondering if you can improve something.

Going back to projects, I enjoy working in the studio, with people. I was also incredibly proud of the country during and after the huge success of the London Olympics. Those that don’t know, the first gold medal of the games for Team GB came on the water with a member of the British Armed Forces.

I do wonder if the Armed forces themselves have started to be taken for granted a little. As we ride a wave of public support, the like of which I have never known, we seem to be in the media all the time, thankfully most of the time in a positive light. This is largely down to our enduring involvement in Afghanistan, but as an organisation we seem so integrated into the public field of vision that it is hard to see it ending soon. On the other hand, with Afghanistan coming ever closer to a draw down, I wonder if the limelight is about to fade. Over all I have to say, as biased as I so obviously am, we have done ourselves proud. We have once again shown ourselves to be professional, resilient and the definition of reliability. Sure there have been failures, but these do happen. We are only human after all (this is not meant to demonstrate any kind of apathy over these failures as some have been very disturbing).

As part of the Army PR machine, our role is to do what we can to assist the organisation in showing off its good points.

So as I continue to ramble on, I have embarked on a personal project to photograph Army representative sports people to help show that as an organisation, the competitive nature of the job we do does have civilian applications too. The British Military is a huge investor in sports which will inevitably keep our exploits in the public eye.

This image is a very quick edit on this project and is far from a final image. The sport is Biathlon, one of the most physically demanding sports I think there is. Not so much from the exertion the athlete must endure but the fact that during this exertion they then have to hit a tiny target with a rifle at 50 meters while their lungs are trying to escape them through their mouths.

Before I depart I must add that any views in this blog are my own views and should not be seen as any kind of representation of the Ministry of Defence or the British Army.

Canvassing favour

January 4, 2013

Portraits

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As a photographer you can go periods of time struggling, this is by nature a creative industry and at times, like writers I guess, you can get a creative block. For some time I have been looking for some more creative ideas that are fun to do in the studio. Photographing a family is never run of the mill, nor should it be.

Then there comes a time when the magic happens, you get a bunch of characters who make it all so easy. When you photograph a person, the difficult part can be capturing the personality and character. Sounds easy but then when you think, you may not have seen the subject before, you need to create a rapport and fast.

You may only have a short amount of time to get the shots.

For this kind of session, preparation is paramount. The ideas need to be planned, set up and executed with military precision and yet really need to be relaxed and natural.

These ideas have been in the pipeline for some time and like most new things, they take a little time to get just right. I think we are getting there, almost…

Always room to improve but what is most important is that the client loves their images. Get that and you will not go far wrong.

Putting a face to the name

January 3, 2013

Afghanistan, Portraits

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Well, here it is, the project for 2013 and beyond…

An idea that I have been mulling over for almost 12 months now, I can finally get the ball rolling.

“Putting a face to the name”

What is it?

Well quite simply it is an idea to remember those members of the British Forces that have been killed whilst on operations in Afghanistan. A non-political remembrance. This project is not meant to be a support for the conflict (as that is political), but simply support for our troops.

How many of us can name any of the 438 British forces that have died in Afghanistan?

Now try to name as many famous people that have died in the last 12 months?

This is the premise of this project, to find a personality that is well know to represent each and every member of the Armed forces that have been killed in Afghanistan by means of a portrait. Once complete (no mean feat), the resulting exhibition may well be coinciding with 11Nov as part of the national remembrance.

Did I say just how ambitious this project is? I am under no illusions here. This is going to take a massive amount of support and help. I have already begun recruiting.

I am not planning the end state yet as this will have to remain organic and hopefully pick up some high profile supporters to put some wind in the sails. That said if anyone thinks they can help or has any contacts of people who you think may be what we are looking for I am asking them to email me privately on LIMEfotographic@Hotmail.com

I have also created a new blog solely for the new project.

http://facetothename.org/

This is where most of the updates will be placed, so follow that blog if you want to keep in touch.

Well that is that, a project that I have been so excited about is finally on the move. I only hope that it turns out to be even a fraction of what I hope for.

The long journey has to start with the first step and sometimes this first step is the hardest…

Here is to the journey, I hope you can stay with me on it…

Getting known and trying to break the norm.

November 28, 2012

Development, Portraits, Promotion

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Any photographer will tell you that one of the biggest journeys for them to take is the attempt to do something new, so find their own USP (Unique Selling Point). More often and not these days it is a certain look done in post production (after the photo has been taken). An example of this is the Dragan effect (google it). The thing is with PP is that it is quite easily replicated. Once someone comes out with a catchy look, its just a matter of time before everyone is doing it. That USP then becomes dull, it loses its impact.

I have decided to undertake a couple of projects over this Christmas period working at charity events and a Christmas fayre.

Why?

Well simple, I decided I needed to do two things. Firstly be seen for what I do (taking portraits) and secondly to capture something that makes people go wow, which is not that easy. I also wanted to make people go, “I like that, can I book a family shoot or a portrait session from you?”

A standard set up for this kind of event is probably a two light set up, maybe three. A main light, fill and either a background light or hair light. The idea being that this set up is versatile as the sweet spot can be organised to be quite large.

Well I decided I didn’t want to do that as although you can get reasonable light it will not suit everyone. There is not really any set up that will suit everyone, so decisions have to be made. I chose to use a ‘clam shell’ set up which has the main light as a 1.2m Octobox directly above the subject, and very close. The fill light is under my feet and I shoot through the gap in between. The problem is that to get this really amazing soft light the subject is close to the light and the sweet spot is quite small. I can only fit (carefully) two subjects.

Ultimately here lays the problem. I do not directly make any money from this shoot which as a business I have to make money to survive. There will always be people that want a certain shot and it is difficult to almost alienate yourself from anyone, but I have to look at the bigger picture. I want you to see that I can get some amazing pictures of you guys and in a studio with all my kit at my disposal and a couple of hours to spare, we can come up with same really memorable shots that you will love.

Looking at it that way, its a bit of a no brainer really…. What I particularly love about this is the options that remain in PP, like in any lighting situation I suppose.

—The mastery of life, work and Photography

The eye sees what it sees, the camera sees what you ask it to and the rest needs to be discovered.

Archive

Portraits

Do I miss my old life? And change is constant.

Page reset and new horizons…

Never work with kids and animals? Why not?

Our brand new sprinkler system

On meeting Martin Parr

Pushing boundaries and why.

The ‘SCURGE’ of photography and a client education

It’s all in the exposure, and a day out with my daughter

Best laid plans and chomping on a bit or reality

Revisiting the past and the affirmation of your choices

A fresh perspective.

All the fun of the fair and getting your balance

One model, three looks.

The cheek of the job!

A scatter approach and the continuous search

What’s it all about? and what IS the magic of photography?

Keeping up with myself and losing the battle

Canvassing favour

Putting a face to the name

Getting known and trying to break the norm.

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