A shoot with Lauren, more Phoenixing, and the Rhumblerama Auditions

So far, January 2013 has been a busy time for my camera!  My shutterbuggery (it's a word) got off to an early start with a day in the studio with model and fellow photographer Lauren Freeman, where we were working on a test shoot for something a little different that we're planning to do with the Manchester Phoenix.  I can't give any details about that at the moment, so as not to spoil the surprise when it happens, but I can show some shots from the rest of the day's shooting - we shot several themes using Lauren's flash heads, including these shots of Lauren in my hockey kit:

I've shot under constant light in the studio before, and I've shot using flash heads, and there are pros and cons to both.  I guess in simplest terms, it depends on what kind of effect you're looking to get.  With these shots, it was important to me to get a substantial depth of field (or DOF), with all of the subject in focus.  To achieve this requires a mid to high f-stop (I think I was shooting around f7.1 to f8) and a shutter speed of 1/160th of a second, at ISO 200.  The flash heads weren't particularly far away, but were turned down low, so the coverage of light was nice and even - the dominant light was camera left, the fill light camera right.

In previous shoots where I've wanted a shallower DOF, sometimes the flash is too much, even with the flash heads moved further away.  The intensity of flash heads, even on a low setting, is much brighter than the constant light LEDs that I use, so sometimes constant light is the best option.  Shooting at f1.8 or f2.2 will give a shallower DOF, which gets shallower the closer you get to the subject, and this can give some great images.  But, for this shoot with Lauren, a deep DOF was needed, and so flash heads were the logical choice!

The set of photos from the shoot is still being added to, and it's viewable here: Lauren F. Shoot 2


We're just passing through the middle of the EPL ice hockey season at the moment, so the games are still coming thick and fast.   The response that Lauren, Yolanda and myself get to our photos is mostly positive (one or two trolls aside) and shooting the games is still fun.

At the last game, Lauren and myself had the opportunity to shoot the players as they come onto the ice, from a shooting position on the ice.  It's a shoot I've attempted a couple of times in the past, and the results are hit and miss, but when they hit, they hit!

As we go along, we also like to shoot some 'behind the scenes' shots - these tend to be shots not of the players, but the people around the games, as well as us setting up and working at the games.

More photos from the Phoenix matches can be seen on the Official Phoenix Flickr page here: Phoenix Flickr albums


This past Sunday, Lauren and myself were doing a different kind of portrait shooting for a good friend of mine, Andy Carson.  Andy is the director of a new independent film entitled Rhumblerama, a drama/comedy about a group of no-hopers who build a new career for themselves as professional wrestlers.  The film is at the casting stage, and so Lauren and myself were in attendance at the auditions, taking headshots and bodyshots of the auditionees to help with the selection process.

Essentially, our job was to take three shots of each auditionee.  One with them holding a clapperboard with their name written on it (for identification purposes), one headshot, and one bodyshot, which I then combined in photoshop to make one 'photosheet' per auditionee:

The whole experience was certainly an eye opening one!  We saw some incredibly talented actors and actresses giving performances that were worthy of casting.  We also saw, er, some other people....

A quick note here, if I may, to all budding actors and actresses out there:
Crying is not acting.  It's crying.
Doing an improvised monologue about one side of a relationship break up isn't acting.  It's still crying.
Yelling and shouting aren't acting.  They're yelling and shouting.
When you're auditioning for a drama-slash-comedy, doing a monologue about murder / rape / suicide / death / psychosis / torture is not really in-keeping with the theme of the film.
Acting involves adapting another personality to your own.  Being a chav and attempting to play a chav isn't acting, it's being a chav.
I hope this has been useful....

From a photography point of view, it was a relatively straightforward process.  Once we had set up and got the lights set correctly, we developed a system whereby I would photograph the taller candidates and Lauren would shoot the 'more normal heighted' auditionees.  Much of what we did that day was watching and waiting, we were sitting off to the side whilst the auditions took place, so we were in a good position not only to watch the actors but also the faces of Andy and his fellow panel members.  Watching them keep their faces straight for some of the auditions was also a good lesson in acting!

More info on Rhumblerama can be found on the official Rhumblerama facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/RhumbleRama

Thanks for reading!

Unveiling Jen, a Trip to the Airport, and more Phoenixing

A couple of entries back, I teased a couple of shots from the recent shoots with my friend, model and fellow photographer Jen Latham.  Since then I have been gradually releasing more and more shots from the two shoots that we did, one under constant light and one under flash heads, and I am very pleased with not only the results but how the shots have been received.

The first shoot was done under constant light, with a smoke machine, and focussed around us exploring some themes that Jen and I had developed together.  The shoot was initially set up as a test shoot for concepts that we were planning to use in a shoot at a later date (and probably still will), and centred on two characters, 'Innocence' and 'Justice':

We'd done a lot of research before the shoot into the kind of looks that we wanted to achieve, and we also spent some considerable time researching the right props to use as well, and how best to handle them.  Jen is pretty fearless when it comes to modelling (in fact she's pretty fearless full stop) and so I knew that she would be able to deliver on the concepts, and deliver she did!

We also shots some more conventional portraits in the first shoot as well:

But we also did some 'component shots' for a photoshop idea that I'd had, which resulted in a shot called 'Self Control':

It's my first attempt at a photoshop job on this scale, and although it's not perfect by any standard, I'm pretty pleased with it!

As mentioned in a previous blog entry, the second shoot with Jen was more of an impromptu one, taking advantage of an opportunity.  My fellow Phoenix photographer Lauren Freeman had generously lent me her flash heads, and so the evening before Jen jetted off to Zimbabwe to film a documentary we found ourselves with a couple of hours to shoot in.  Jen was going to kickboxing that evening, and so a sporting shoot was on the cards!

We also found time to do some more experimentation with our concepts from the first shoot, this time using a black cloth:

The full set of photos from the two shoots can be seen on Flickr here: Shoots with Jen

Back at the start of the month I found myself in Manchester on business, and after business was concluded I checked the SatNav to find that I was a mere 0.8 miles away from the airport viewing area.  So naturally, with the sun starting to set, I headed over to the Runway Visitors Centre and got my long lens out!

I always find shooting at the airport to be very relaxing, a nice way to unwind and forget the world for a few moments.

The full set from the visit can be seen on Flickr here:  Airport at Sunset

As per usual, I've been shooting the Phoenix home games throughout the hockey season so far, and some of the shots I've been able to get have been very pleasing.  This is the first season where I've shot with a Nikon D90 in my hands, and the difference in quality is quite marked:

It's still an enjoyable activity, experiencing the highs and lows of supporting my team and watching every game through the lens, and even with the D90 it's still a challenge that I relish!

Thanks for reading!

Shooting Jen - Twice, Stoke Vintage Fair, and Lest We Forget...

In the last blog entry I mentioned that I had an upcoming shoot with the excellent Jen Latham, where we were going to test some themes that we've been working on.  Well, good things come in pairs, and thanks to the generosity of my fellow snapper Lauren Freeman in lending me her flash head kit, Jen and I have done two shoots!    The shots from both shoots are yet to be properly published, but I can give you a sneak peek of both shoots here - I'm immensely proud of both shoots, and yet again I was left in awe at Jen's talent in front of the camera.

The first shoot took place on Halloween night, so when the rest of the country were out trick or treating we were set up in the Media Centre's Shoot Studio using a combination of tungsten and LED constant lights, and armed with a smoke machine.  We shot a variety of different themes, costumes and ideas, and soon I will be publishing the results.  But in the meantime, here's a couple of shots from the photoshoot:

The second of our shoots came about through luck and timing!   On Phoenix match days in recent weeks, Lauren, Yolanda and myself have been shooting portraits of the players for use in the match programmes and for the upcoming Phoenix calendar;  a couple of weeks back Lauren offered to let me take her flash head lighting kit home with me to practice with, as I've been thinking about getting one.  So it transpired that I had the kit, and Jen had a spare couple of hours before heading to kickboxing one evening, so we set up the lights, got the smoke machine out again, and had an impromptu shoot!  Again, the results haven't been published yet, but here's a quick look:

The full sets from boths shoots will be published soon - watch this space!


Yesterday was a busy day for me with my camera.  Yolanda has an interest in vintage and retro fashion and style, and so when we learned that there was going to be a Vintage Fair in town, it was a no-brainer!  So we set off for the King's Hall in Stoke On Trent, Yolanda with the intention of getting a 50s-style make-over, and me with the intention of getting some shots of the people and styles on show, and to create a photoset that gave a flavour of the event.

The venue itself is quite photogenic, and as the doors to the balcony were left unlocked, I went for a bit of a wander whilst Yol had her make-over done:

I also decided to get some photos of the people in attendance, both the visitors and the stallholders, and I found that everyone I asked was happy to have their photo taken!

The highlight of the show for me though had to be Yol's transformation.  At the skilled hands of Sarah Russell from SGR Vintage Hair & Make Up, Yol was given a new hairstyle and make-over in a retro 1950s style, to match her cherry dress:

The full set of photos from the Vintage Fair can be seen on Flickr here: Stoke Vintage Fair photoset


Yesterday was also Remembrance Sunday,  and whilst we were down in Stoke we were able to watch the Remembrance Parade which ended at the Stoke Cenotaph, right outside the King's Hall:

Remembrance Sunday is always a significant event in the calendar,  a moving tribute to the fallen.  I lost my grandfather when I was five years old, I only have vague memories of how lovely a man he was, but I know from my mother that he served in Palestine in WW2, and so every Remembrance Sunday he's at the forefront of my thoughts.  Lest we forget.

The set of photos from the Parade can be seen here: Remembrance Parade

Thanks for reading, all.