A Paperwork Lesson Learned, Working with a Keen Model, and Lauren's Centrefolds

Whenever I shoot a model in the studio, I always get a Release Form signed.  It's pretty much standard practice, and it covers both the photographer and the model in terms of what's agreed and what's expected on the shoot.  So far, all of my shoots have been done on a 'time for images' basis, in that neither I nor the models are paid for the shoot, but the agreement is in place that we can both use the images for our own promotional purposes.  I like to think of myself as a fair person, so I have an additional clause in my Release Forms that promises the model a share of any profits made should an image be sold (either in print or in rights).  I see that as the correct and fair way to do things.

Back in September, I was approached by a model to do some shots for her portfolio.  No problem there, seemed pretty straightforward. But when it came to the Release Form, there was one stipulation that I agreed to do differently this time around, and that was to give the model the right to approve the shots before I could use them for my own purposes.

With hindsight, this was a mistake. 

Now, as a courtesy to the fine models who have given me their time in the past, I have always shown them in advance the photos that I plan on using, and ask if they have any major objections to the shots.  I've never had a problem with doing this, and the models have never had a problem with it either.  This time, however, I had to wait until the model gave her consent for the shots to be used.

So, I waited.  And waited.

Several e-mails went back and forth, trying to get the consent for the shots to be used.  More waiting.  And more waiting. In the end, I invited the model to come along to where I work, and look through the shots with me, one by one, saying yes or no to them.

Finally, the meeting took place, and after a long conversation about the shots, she eventually gave her consent for me to use twelve of the thirty finished shots that I had supplied her with.   It could have been worse, she could have point blank refused.   But the whole experience has taught me a valuable lesson, and that's to always stick to the initial Release Form stipulations!


Anyway, onward and upward!  Over the past couple of weeks I've been developing some new themes for a shoot with a model I've previously shot with, the very talented Jen Latham.  Jen's also a photographer, so she's got a good mind for creativity and for developing themes, and this week we're doing a test shoot to explore a couple of themes and costume ideas.  So far there's been plenty of brainstorming, and a little bit of shopping too - outfit materials and props have been on the shopping list!

Here's a photo of Jen from our previous shoot that I'm particularly proud of, and here's hoping that we can raise the bar with our next shoot!

As per usual, I've been shooting for the Phoenix every weekend, and we've been trying new things there too.  A couple of weeks back, the head photographer Nick Ogden stepped down and I was given the opportunity to step up and take over the position.  Nick's stepping down coincided with a new photographer starting with us (the two events were not connected), and that new photographer was my better half, Yolanda Amor!  So the photo team at Phoenix now consists of myself, Yolanda and my long-time photo buddy Lauren Freeman.

One of the new projects that we're working on this season is an idea that Lauren is heading up; pull-up posters for the centre pages of the match night programme.  So far the posters have been very well received by the programme-buying public!   The shooting for them has to take place on a match day, and so far Lauren's been shooting three players per week.  My role on the shoots is to help set up, and to handle one of the lights when it comes to moving them around.  Whilst all this has been going on, Yol has been shooting away behind the scenes!

Of course, the shoots are being carried out with the utmost seriousness, as this shot by Lauren clearly demonstrates:

More behind the scenes photos can be seen on Flickr here:  Phoenix Photographers Behind The Scenes

Thanks for reading!

Experimenting at the Camera Club, and the New Season Continues with a Visit from Totty!

A couple of months back, I joined a camera club here in Stoke in order to meet some fellow snappers and to learn a new trick or three.  So far it's been quite educational, and a couple of weeks back we had an evening of experimentation, an evening where we could try our hand at several different types of photography.  In one room there was a multi-head lighting set-up and in the other there were several 'stations' where snappers could try macro photography, shooting water droplets, and various other subjects.

Evenings such as this one give everyone a chance to try their hand at new things without the sense of pressure that can sometimes come from an organised shoot.  Especially when shooting inanimate objects.  They don't judge you when you take ages to get the shot just right!

One of the things that we had a go at was capturing water droplets.  To do this properly, you need a tripod and a flash gun, and at this particular evening I had neither!  But I still had a crack at it, using a high ISO.  The grain was an issue, but for a first attempt...

Better luck next time, methinks!

Many of the items that were 'photographable' were brought along by members of the club, including a rather nice Blue John Stone geode:

This particular shot was achieved with the aid of a torch and a piece of paper, and a fair bit of balance!

The studio set-up in the other room was a rather nice construction, with a full paper roll backdrop being interchanged with a lightable soft-box backdrop.  The model for the evening was Heather, the sister of one of our photographers, and she did an admirable job of keeping her pose and composure whilst being repeatedly flashed at by lots of strange men and a couple of strange women...

The downside to having lighting set up for multiple photographers at the same time is that the lighting is set up for multiple photographers at the same time.  Basically what I mean is that when you have one photographer, the lighting can be set for the one lens, everything is geared towards that one shooting position, but when you have more than one snapper the lighting can be uneven.  However, this in turn gave me a chance to do some more experimentation with HDR:

More shots from the evening can be seen here:  Willfield Camera Club experimental shots

The Manchester Phoenix season has been continuing, we're now several games in, and the shooting is still fun and varied.  The action is also a bit varied, ranging from masses of action to the occasional bout of 'nothing going our way', but at all times the view through the lens is always an exciting challenge.

Our home game against the Wildcats just over a week ago gave a rare treat to the people of Manchester, and to Yol and I in particular - the referee was Joy Tottman, one of our travelling buddies from our trip to Maine in 2010!  Joy has been an ice hockey referee for a number of years, but is normally based 'darn sarf' and seldom gets selected to referee Phoenix games, so to see her take to the ice at the Altrincham Ice Dome was a pleasant surprise!

Cheers for reading!