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.

Modelling with a Gas Mask and a Smoke Machine

In the last blog entry I mentioned the studio shoot that I did with Jen Latham, a film maker and photographer taking her first turn in front of the camera.  Jen's an unconventional kinda person, and so the photo shoot was somewhat unconventional too.  We'd bounced a couple of ideas around, taking the notion of traditional glamour photography and doing it with 'alternative' props and costumes.

I own a gas mask.  It's just one of those things that I bought a few years back just because I thought it would be a quirky thing to own, and so when Jen was looking for one for a photo shoot, I lent her mine.  We got talking about using it in photo shoots, and the idea began to form.

A big part of glamour imagery is the connection between the model and the viewer, or the viewer-substitute:  the camera lens.  Eye contact is a key part of this, the notion of being able to look the model in the face; this is what we wanted to play with.  Eye contact is still possible, but when the face is hidden it makes a connection harder.  Factor in props that aren't traditionally associated with glamour, such as gas masks and lab coats, and that makes for an alternative glamour shoot!

When you have a gas mask, you need to have gas.  Or more photogenically, smoke.  I borrowed a smoke machine from two local film-makers, David Gammon and Dan Barlow, and whilst it was being dropped off I got talking with Dan about the concept for the shoot.  Dan mentioned that he had some props that might be suitable and went off to fetch them before coming back with a case full of military paraphernalia.  Coupled with the outfits that Jen had brought along, we were able to put together some visually stunning combinations.

We also found time to do some more traditional portraits during the shoot, but Jen still managed to make them quirky and interesting in her own way!

The shots are being released gradually in this online album: Jen Latham photoshoot
Keep checking back as more shots are uploaded!