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.
Our brand new sprinkler system
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Tag Archives: fun
Autumnal Landscapes
I don’t really get to take too many landscapes. I feel you really need to be out looking for them constantly and the reality is I will see a potential but the weather is either wrong or it is the wrong time of day. So I make a mental note and go about my business.
I have been eyeing up this location for a while, the leaves are turning and in the evening light these colours will simply pop.
On the way home today, I stopped…… and explored.
There is not much more I can say about that.
The ‘SCURGE’ of photography and a client education
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
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!
Landscaping and inspiration
Landscape photography is I think in many ways one of the hardest genre’s of photography and certainly one of the more difficult to make a living from. The search for a photograph is demanding and very time consuming and nothing beats experience.
Whilst in Las Vegas we have the opportunity to visit the gallery of Peter Lik, arguably one of the most prolific landscape photographers of our time. Now there are some amazing landscapes out there to see if you look hard enough, digital photography has certainly made the skill more accessible.
To see inspirational imagery in the flesh is always very inspiring for me, the internet and books mostly sell the real stuff short but to see these images as the photographer intended can be great fun. I have to say that the way Peters’ images are displayed is nothing short of amazing and has given me ideas for presenting some of my own work.
Inspired I decided to make some landscapes of my own. These are not in the same league as his dedication to capturing the greatest of images is overwhelming and shows you what it takes to succeed in this, at times, fickle industry.
I don’t really do many landscapes but I would seriously like to rectify this if I can. Maybe 2013 will be a year for landscapes after all.
A very Las Vegas wedding!
Ask any photographer, well nearly every one and they will tell you they are always tinkering. New ideas, new shots, new cameras or lenses, different venues. There is simply no shortage of things you can adjust.
Now before I go too far here, I was not the official photographer, and the chapel did not want any other photographs taken, so I was simply a guest (which was lovely). So this time I left the camera in the hotel room and took my iPad instead. I have been shooting a bit with the iPad this week anyway.
I have to say, these shots are a bit of fun and the iPad is not the best for taking photographs but with some snapseed action some of them came out quite well. So here is a selection.
The cheek of the job!
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
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.
Canvassing favour
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.
In the thick of it and always experimenting
As a photographer one of the best parts of the job is the sheer volume of options. I love the fact that I can always learn new techniques, be it composition, lighting, style or… well the options some times feel pretty limitless. #
The only limit to a photographer is their imagination.
I love playing with lighting, the studio is a great place when things are going well and the most frustrating place when they are not.
Lighting is, in essence quite simple, even the most complex of lighting set ups should look simple, but simple is great to look at and natural.
After setting up a stand at a recent charity fashion show, I thought it would make a great opportunity to try a simple clamshell setup. I have to say I have never used this one before and I really have no idea why. It is an amazing light and with post pro can suit men, women and children.
For this one I had a 1.2m Octabox as the key light, with a simple shoot through brolly as the fill from the floor. The lights were no more than 1m from the subject so I used a wide lens for most of them.
Another set up in the bank.
Building books and the tangible truth
If there is one aspect of digital photography and the internet that I don’t like it is simply the lack of necessity to print your images.
There is nothing quite like a decent print, and trust me it is never simply a case of hitting the print button. So in the last six months or so I have been responsible for producing 4 photographic books, and all I can say is wow. Although the books have been limited run or one offs, the sense of achievement you get after all the work of putting them together and handling it is second to none.
I now have the printed book bug.
A reflective image is so different from a back lit image, that seeing your images feels like seeing it again for the first time.
There are some amazing companies out there that can produce these books and some of the software you can use to complete the books are very straight forward. All I would say is don’t feel the need to over complicate the layout.
Photo books should ideally, in my humble opinion, be about an image at a time, although that is not always possible. There is certainly a skill in putting a book together and I feel myself getting better each time. There is a lot of work, in particular when you are trying to include other contributors.
Another important effort is to do your best to create a narrative, to make the images inter connect and flow from one to the other and at times, even if you have a cracking image that misses the narrative, do not shoehorn it into the book just out of hand. If you need to add another section to the book to fit it in, then try but be your own worst critic.
The end result is worth it though.
Finding the time, a photographers lot
Well many of you may be aware the last few weeks have been a blur, but a happy one. Now I am starting to move on and as a photographer, there is always a difficulty balancing the work with real life. Any working photographer lives and breathes photography, and I find it gets worse the longer I go on. Understanding light is probably the hardest thing with photography and it takes time. There are no shortcuts here and learning to identify and use light is something every photographer constantly works with.
As I understand light more and more, I see opportunity and inspiration. I suppose it feels a little bit like staring at the screen on ‘The Matrix’, you just start to see photographs everywhere. That said seeing images and capturing images are two completely different things though the more I see light and its subtleties I base it on images I have taken.
Now I like working in the studio with controlled light. There is a sense that anything is possible, if you can just control it as you need. I really love photographing people but the most difficult part is ‘the people’, getting them to do what you want, no, need them to do. A sitter does not have any idea what is going on in my head (probably a good thing), and I am working towards an end product that nestles in the outer reaches of my muddled head.
There is no substitute for working with people, it really is the only way you get to know the craft of lighting. I can play with new ideas on an inanimate object but translating that to people is something that can only be done with people……
….and no two people are the same.
So there we have it, this post is no more than a plug, I need you to improve and you need me to take your portrait, so there you go, no excuses any more…
And here is to the weekend, all good in moderation.
Award winning, does it really make a difference?
I write this blog in somewhat of a state of shock. I have just been told that I need to get myself over to London next week to pick up a couple of prizes from the Army photographic awards. 
This image was taken at 0500 using available red light on a high ISO and shows us packed like sardines into the back of a Chinook about to go on an operation.
This year was only the second time I have entered in ten years for one thing or another, and after being runner up last time, the improvement was great.
This macro shot was taken with a macro lens and was supposed to be an observation of religious prominence within the military and more so with the Americans. What is does not show however is the levels of religious diversity that we have now.
If I am totally honest, I didn’t really hold out much hope as much of the last 12 months was doing video, and if I am even more honest, not to a great standard. 
Military equipment – this was one of my favorite portraits from Afghanistan, it shows an attitude and toughness that belies the old equipment they operate with.
So back to the competition. I am obviously very pleased for the recognition, but I really don’t think it means all that much at the end of the day but what we can do to raise the profile of our small group of individuals who work hard to show our colleagues at their best. This is not down to me being disrespectful to the other entrants in this particular competition, just the fact that winning competitions may be a skill but also requires a lot of luck. After all three judges look at the images subjectively and pick their favorite and on another day with different judges, the results would, I am sure, probably be very different.
This military portrait taken in the studio is intended to show a diversity within the whole port folio. It is a standard portrait with a little twist.
I had no idea who was judging this competition, not that knowing that would have made any difference. The simple fact is that photography is purely subjective and what one person loves another simply can’t stand… the Marmite thing I suppose. 
In the absence of a perfect boxing or skiiing shot (not much of either in Afghanistan), I wanted to demonstrate a little bit of the British soldiers sense of humour… unfortunately there was no lake in sight.
So what did I win? Well rather surprisingly, the Professional port folio award and the best Professional image. Wow, now I am speechless. 
From the harshness of Afghanistan to the grandeur of Hannover town hall for the Queens birthday celebrations, a city that has close ties to the royal family.
The port folio was a simple case of choosing eight images, each one fulfilling a single criteria. Operational image, Sport, Macro, Black and white, portrait, military equipment, Interior and Public relations image. So the portfolio was always going to be a mismatch off images rather than a coherent collection of images to support a narrative.
Which ever way you look at it, there will be controversy and disagreement, as everyone will see different things from the images submitted. So there we have it for another year, I only hope that we as a photographic trade can make the most of this and promote ourselves as the self motivated, professional individuals we are.
The image selected by the judges as the winning image, taken just before the officer at the front of the picture screamed at me for not being where I should be.
Territorials are dead, long live the reservists
The Territorial Army or TA, have been around for longer than I can remember, and since I joined the British Army ‘Regulars’ they have taken the brunt of the jokes.
These part timers or weekend warriors have over the last decade had a resurgence fueled by an ever increasing involvement in Afghanistan.
The name ‘Territorial Army’ is no more, replaced by the simple ‘Reservists’, many of their numbers have now served more operational tours than some of their regular counterparts. Probably a minority but this fact is one aspect that has transformed reputations.
There are still ways to go, but the momentum is there and with more and more ambitious training exercises going on, I feel the reputation will improve.
As the government places more and more emphasis onto the reservists, the future looks bright for these soldiers and their future looks assured.
Viable and sustainable? Well really only time will tell, but with so much being laid on their shoulders, can they afford to fail?
Any opinions or points of view expressed in this blog are not the views of the British Army or the Ministry of Defence, but of myself and should not be viewed as official comment.
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It’s a ‘Riskey Business’
As many of you are already aware, I really enjoy my job, to the point of feeling guilt at times. How can I enjoy a job so much? I think one of the primary reasons for this is the fact that no two days are the same. This is such a challenging vocation at times, and sometimes so simple. I enjoy photographing people, in the studio, on location, it’s just so much fun (although there are times when there is little fun to be had).
One of the things I particularly like is the opportunities there are to ‘try something new’. Too many people see the skill of photography as a dying art, or simply a matter of a numbers game to capture the one required image.
Photography is a form of art, it can be creative but there is creation in every single image. The camera operator has decisions to make every time the shutter release is pressed, composition, timing, exposure, aperture and shutter speed. Then there is lighting, another discipline that is undervalued by viewers everywhere as the best lit shots out there generally look like they are naturally lit, so with very little skill.
The fact of the matter is that every time a photographer captures a moment, there are so many things to consider, that people just don’t see.
As a photographer and an aspiring photographer too, it is dangerous to get comfortable, you always look for the next image, the next project, so being asked to photograph a local hobby band for publicity shots was a challenge to look forward too. At this point I feel I need to add that these musicians are brilliant and the term ‘Hobby’ is meant to show their motivations, they play for the love not the finance (although they are available for hire).
Due to the nature of most of their day jobs, the band line up does change constantly as members move on and new ones replace, but this adds to the difficulty of getting the photograph.
I shot the band the first time in 2011, not too long before I went to Afghanistan, a short time out of the bands religious rehearsals. With a camera, a few flash guns against a brick wall, I managed to make a simple image, but after I felt it did not do the band justice as by their nature, their line up changes almost monthly.
Then back from Afghanistan, a new line up, with even more changes on the horizon, I wanted to do something that I felt suited their make up.
Individual portraits, all with the same identical lighting that have that connection, the images could then be brought together to make a band photo.
I did however make an image of the band all together too, call it the banker shot if you like…………..
More Royalty and the Rifles march on
Wow, where have the last two weeks gone? Work has been crazy, a new promotion and a busy diary have contributed to my head spinning.
Having spent a vast amount of time in Afghanistan recently, it is natural to take some time to get back into the real world. Life in Afghanistan in many ways is simple, you get up do your job, eat and sleep, there is not too much more to do. Life back home seems so much more complicated as a result.
Getting the kids to school, sorting out the kids passport, chasing bills and paying invoices, meeting clients, and even at times taking the odd photograph, it all seems like there is so much to do.
So the tasking came in to photograph a home coming parade for some local press journalists from the UK came up. This is after all our job so this is not a problem and it also gets me out of the office doing what I enjoy so its a winner all round.
I have never photographed a Rifles parade before so I was there early to get a good look around and make sure everyone knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. In the middle of a parade it can be quite daunting to wander onto parade and shoot away.
It is mostly a simple case of letting certain people know what your intentions are and they will be fine. They also know that they will be getting copies of the shots for their own use too so everyone’s a winner.
The weather in Germany has been as bad as the UK recently so that will tend to be an issue but you can’t plan for every eventuality although in this case we worked out being quite lucky.
All in all it was a good day and we got some good coverage in the press back home.
Have courage in your convictions
Most people in our society will at some point in their life need (no, not need but want) a photographer, be it for their wedding, to photograph their new baby, their portrait, their pet. Their business products, the list goes on and on.
What do people look for?
Do you search for a photographer who captures something different or has a certain look you like? A cheap photographer? A friend who has a camera? Or nothing at all?
Where does the cost of a photographer come into it? Should it enter the equation at all?
The photography industry is incredibly competitive at the moment and the industry can be very easy for anyone to access with the super high quality of even some of the budget cameras. I wonder if this is a positive development, but regardless, this is where our industry is right now. The client has never had so much choice.
What does that choice mean?
I think this depends on what your view of a photograph is. Do you see a photograph as just a still image that simply records and reminds you of a memory? Is a photograph a piece of art? Can a single image really be that important? Take a while to think about some famous images you can remember. It may be a war photograph from Vietnam or a celebrity portrait, but the chances are it will be a stunning image for one reason of another.
A photograph is history. Although it is taken at the time the image is immediately assigned historic status. I shows us what was.
When you are looking for a photographer, what is your main consideration? I think there are two main perspectives. Will I love the images or can I afford them?
Take a wedding for example. This is for many people the most monumental day in their lives (although not for all). I think it is fair to say that most couples will look for a look they like from their wedding photographer. There is usually a budget but their first consideration in many cases is the look. I have been asked if I can replicate someone else’s look for a wedding before………Mmmmm!
Each and every photographer is different, of course there are styles and fashions that you can find over and over, but you have to look at the image, see what has been captured, is there emotion, a certain use of light, a character in there or is it simple a flat image processed to a style?
Photographers are observers, we look for things, we search for a representation. Some are better than others, that’s just the way fo the world I am afraid. As a photographer we should always be striving for the next image, that killer image that may not be the most asthetic but one that has that bit of magic. Sometimes that is not obvious but invariably there will be something.
To look at a photographers images, look into them, try to identify what they were looking at. You can do this for any photographer and ask the question, why? I guarantee you at times you won’t be able to answer the question but you will still see something that you like.
My work may remind you of someone elses work but for sure that’s all it is. Photographers are individuals, our work is unique, we all see things differently and if you hire us you are buying into that vision and experience. All photographers draw inspiration from the world around us.
As a client you should never look at a photographers work and then wonder if you can get a cheaper alternative by going elsewhere. Another photographer cannot just step into anothers head. So if you need a photographer, look around, look for somthing that you like, an edge, a look, a style or a vision and hire them.
If budget is an issue then look for an alternative, but don’t expect the same, you are only setting yourself for disappointment.
Your choice of photographer may, in the end, cost a little more than you wanted to pay but in years to come, those photographs could have more value to you because you will know in yourself that you did not compromise.
Did I mention that I shoot weddings and portraits…………………………………………………………………………..? 😉
Time is my only enemy these days.
It now seems like such a long time since I was out in Afghanistan, in real terms it was. Three months is such a long time. We move on quickly, get back into the swing of things in our day to day jobs. I am now (for those who have not been paying attention) back in Germany with my family. Still working in the Army, yes we still have some of the Army based here (not for too much longer though).
This job does not seem like a job much really, it really is a shock to the system to enjoy my job as much as I do and in fact I have been known on many occasions to feel real guilt as I see people around me slumped and dejected as they struggle through the week to get to the weekend.
None of that for me, many weekends I am behind the camera enhancing my skills and keeping looking for a way of doing things I have not tried before.
One of the most exciting parts of this job is the variation. This week has been a prime example, for three days I was chasing soldiers around a live range trying to capture images for their local press who had come out to visit. Then there was the small matter of photographing a high brow event in Hannover city center to commemorate the Queen’s birthday and then today I spent the day photographing handicapped children as they climbed all over military helicopters.
All this work needs to be processed and dispatched to whoever wants it. Not a five minute job. So my long suffering wife has to watch me sitting at the laptop most of the evening.
Ah, a negative! Perhaps the only one. Sometimes there really is just never enough time in the day. I need to get a new watch……………
One with a 27 hour day.
Herding cats and capturing character
There is a popular phrase that we have all heard stating you should never work with children or animals, however as a photographer, you try that. I recently came up with a promotion idea to get people into the studio, to see how we work and hopefully come away with plenty of workable images to wow the customers.
This became the ‘Pets win prizes’ competition. The premise was for local people to bring their pets to our studio in order for us to try to capture some of their character. The shoot was free and an image from their shoot was to be displayed on Facebook in a gallery for people to vote (like) their favorite. The winner is the image that 7 days later has the most likes. They then win a canvas wrap print of their pet (not necessarily the one used in the competition).
As with anything like this, the build up can be nervous as you find yourself asking the questions, like, did we promote this enough? Will people turn up, have we explained the situation properly? Has word got around?
I need not have worried because apart from a quiet hour at midday, the event was a success. We got a variety of pets in from the expected cats and dogs to the more exotic Bearded Dragon and some tropical fish in a huge beer glass.
I like to put myself under pressure, and I limited each shoot to 15 minutes, which included the time to get to know the animal a little, try to find some of its character, decide on how to work with it and light it, and then execute (not the animal but the idea). I could quite easily have set up a flat light setting and just gone for the safe option but I didn’t want a load of same images. I wanted to be creative, to try to show off each animal as best I could in the time.
At the end of the day, I sit through the images and I have to be honest, I am happy with what we got. There are a lovely range of shots, the customers went home happy and I now hope they like what they see. I don’t photograph a lot of pets, so this was an ideal opportunity to try to broaden my horizons as a photographer.
As I try to complete the job, my eyes are heavy, this was a challenge but like all challenges I am left in its wake feeling content. This is the kind of project I think I should do more often and I urge others to also. It is all to easy for a professional photographer to focus on revenue, but there is a kind of warm feeling when you undertake a project for no obvious gain, that said I did take a couple of bookings today which is nice but certainly not what this was all about.
If you have read this blog today, could I urge you to visit our Facebook page, and visit the gallery. Please take a little time and like any images you like. The winning pet owner will I am sure be most grateful. Plus there are more images from the set to see. As with any of my work I love to hear from people, feedback is important.
Pets win Prizes!
We at LIMEfotographic have arranged a special open day at our studio on Eichholtstrasse, in Bunde, near Herford in Germany on Sunday 13th May 2012.
You love your pets, of course you do! Have you ever considered getting a professional pet portrait done? Well here is your chance, and you can be in with the chance to WIN a canvas frame print of your special pet.
We are opening our studio for a special pet day, so between 10am and 4pm on the 13th May, bring your pets to the studio behind the Naafi in Bunde (near Herford). We will photograph your beloved pet.
HOW THIS WORKS. This is a promotion day, we will photograph your pet in our studio for a maximum of 15 minutes per pet. Once the images are processed they will be posted on our Facebook page for voting. You can invite who ever you can to vote for your pet and quite simply by the closing date, announced when the images are posted, the image with the most likes, will win a stunning canvas print worth €250.
There is no obligation to purchase anything, but of course you may decide that you would like to book a family shoot or some simple portraits…………
Just pop by on the day, and don’t forget to bring your favorite pet with you.
The mastery of life, work and Photography 