Influences - Engagement Shoot

I have looked at various influences for my engagement shoot - there are several contemporary photographers work which have inspired me including the work of Lynsey Thompson.  She is a young photographer based at Studio Rouge in Lower Early.  Weeks following booking Lynsey she won contemporary wedding photographer of the year.  She features in several bridal magazines and shoots at very prestigious locations all over the UK and globally.

She shot my wedding in May 2009 - prior to our wedding our package included an engagement shoot of 100 shots.  This allowed us as a couple to get used to having our photograph taken together as well as get to know the photographer prior to our big day.  I do not have copies of these due to hardware failure prior to starting this course I do however have some shots  from our wedding day.  The engagement shoot was taken in black and white  and we had to wear plain black tops and dark bottoms.

This shows me getting ready - I really like the vignetting and the light tones in this picture, I feel it captures some of the excitement for the day ahead.

Above of myself and husband I like the contact, this for me portrays togetherness and the sepia tones in the image reflect warmth and love.

I like the fact you can see the brides rings and hands and nothing else as the couple share an intimate moment. This is taken from Lynsey's website www.studiorouge.co.uk.

I will also do individual sots of the the bride and groom and use flattering lighting.  As depicted on the left - the man in the image shows a married man.  I like the idea that although we know he is married we don't know who he has married.  The shadows and light work really well with the contours of his face.

The couple share an intimate moment and are set in the latter third of the image if you read left to right.

Engagement Studio Shoot 1.8

For my second shoot I decided on an Engagement Portrait.  Fortunately two friends are getting married January 2011 (andy and Lisa). I thought it would be a great opportunity to practice shooting a couple plus give the bride and groom to be, experience of having their photograph taken together before their big day.

I discussed with Steve via email my plan and due to the limited capabilities of my Canon 300D, I used the college Canon 5D camera and the 24-105mm lens.

My camera has a measly 6 mega pixels and very small view finder - it can be particularly slow and with a limited time slot of an hour and a half in the studio, I needed to work fast.  The plan shows inspiration images of Lynsey Thompson's work plus other portraits images found on other wedding photographers websites.  I showed the plan to Andy and Lisa and had asked them to wear dark clothes, I wanted them to feel comfortable and understand what was needed to get great shots from the shoot which they would be pleased with and which would represent their engagement.  I also advised them on health and safety with regards to fire exits, tripping hazards and not to touch any equipment without supervision if necessary.

I discussed various lighting methods and ideas with Steve.  Above shows the studio, I used a white background and Bowens GM500 lights positioned either side with barn doors attached to reflect the light off the back wall which angled the lighting perfectly onto the bride and grooms side, giving a nice glow to their faces.

I used a tripod, 3 in 1 grid diffuser directly above and at the front.  For some of the shots I also used a stool to seat the bride and groom for their individual shots and a fan to create movement in the brides hair for her portrait.  The light is soft and subtle and I love the glow created on the side of their faces - it creates a sparkle in the eyes giving the idea of excitement.

I am very pleased with the results.  I experimented with different poses, taking individual shots and couple poses standing, seated (on stools and on the floor) and lying down, making sure the bride and groom to be felt comfortable, after a time they relaxed and started to enjoy themselves.  The light at first created too much shadow on the brides neck line, with slight adjustment and adding a soft box on the right hand side this corrected the problem.  The bride and groom were also happy with the results.

Final 12 Portrait Image Selection

I have decided on my final twelve images - there are three stories and I have selected my favourite images from each story. The themes are Burlesque inspired by Paulo Kudacki, Fashion looking at the influence of Lara Jade and finally my engagement shoot looking at portrait photographer Brett Harkness and Lynsey Thompson who won Contemporary wedding photographer of the year 2009. Each theme touches on areas of interest.

I will start with images taken of the engagement shoot - mostly edited to black and white for a contemporary feel but I have kept one in colour to emulate warmth and love.  I have called the series Together.

The Groom (Andy)- he sits thinking about his forthcoming wedding which brings a smile to his face. What lies ahead - fun times.  I took individual shots then couple shots to show their coming together.

Bride to be (Lisa) - this image for me captures the brides joy and excitement as she plans her wedding - the light creates a sparkle around her as she looks forward to her future.

Love and happiness - I've called this image for what it portrays love.  I love how the light reflects of the back of the bride to be and the look in their faces of happiness.  There faces touching and their body embrace symbolising togetherness.

Anticipation - Here I think the couple look as if they are thinking about their plans for their wedding - the groom in particular possible thinking about his speech.

Love - the bride adoringly gazes into her beloveds eyes.  This image portrays adoration and love, which is why I have kept it in colour and have raised the tones to reflect the warm and tingly feeling you feel inside when you are simply in love.

The Gaze - the model calmly gazes from under her arm, what is she thinking?  Is she trying to hide?

Dream State -  I feel the model looks as if she is day dreaming as she glances into the distance.

Crouching - the model is in a gentle crouching position, she peeks from behind her hair on her face - looking directly towards the voyeur.

Stare - the model stares directly out to the voyeur - what is she thinking -is she unhappy?

Contrast - Named in relation to the contrasting stripes to the plain background.  The horizontal lines cocoon the models body shape - creating an hour glass silhouette.

Before the Show - for me this image captures the Burlesque dancer adding the final touches to her costume prior to her performance, making sure her outfit is styled and in place to dazzle her audience with her beauty.

Take a Peep - named as the burlesque model subtly raises her skirt starting to reveal her thighs as she starts her performance to the audience.

Burlesque Shoot

I emailed my burlesque photo shoot plan to Steve - showing original inspiration and equipment required.  

I wanted to explore black and white, the human form through pose and controlled lighting.  The model I chose had very similar features and proportions to Dita Von Teese. My model had not posed for a shoot before so I did a practice shoot at her home to get her comfortable with posing in front of a camera and working with me.  I took along my shoot plan and also different images of Kudacki’s and Mary Ellen Mark’s work to help her practice the positions for the day. ( please see blog) At first the practice shots were verging on becoming sleazy but on reevaluation of the inspiration photographers work I noticed the body angles and positions were very subtle, the hair and make up very sophisticated and the model rarely engages eye contact with the voyeur.  

I used the models own clothing as she has an interest in lingerie and tried to use items which would give the glamour of burlesque.  I used a dressing table stool as a prop and watched Youtube videos of Burlesque make up.  I used the college hair department and briefed them on the style required giving detailed images and instructions.

I had to also brief my model on the health and safety risks such as trip hazards, location of fire exits and risk of being burnt if she were to touch the lights.

Steve helped me set up the studio.  I used the college camera Canon 5D. The background was white, I used a tripod and I needed to create a soft light so positioned two continuous lights.  I placed the camera in a tripod for at a 90 degree angle so the shots were taken portrait and did a test shot using the model and a light meter to get he correct F/stop and ISO based on the lighting levels of Kudacki’s work and to give the appearance that the models skin was paler than in real life to reflect Dita Von Teese. 

I also used a spot light positioned at varying angles to create a silhouette shadow in the background. 

Influence - John Robertson and Research into Lighting tips

I have been speaking to award winning photographer John Robertson. He has over 35 years experience and is a commercial photographer working for a range of clients. I actually enquired about a part time photography assistants role he'd advertised last month, unfortunately the vacancy was already filled. His work is varied and very inspiring - he takes portraiture shots as well as landscapes and currently works as a photo journalist for the Guardian and other international newspapers and magazines.

The image below is of a heroin addict in rehabilitation - even though he has no eye contact, you can feel the sheer struggle and battle he's facing to overcome his addiction. I really like the clearness and clarity of the vivid colours in this image. For me you can not see the man is ill as I usually view images of drug addicts looking painfully thin and colourless - he could just be resting after a hard day at work.

Below is an image of Mr Universe competing. Again I really like the colours particularly the contrast of the blue hues in the background and the range of skin tones, the image has been cropped as the man poses to define his muscles.

John's pictures for me a very masculine - I'm not sure if this is due the vivid colours and hard shapes. His lines are very crisp and clean in comparison to photographer Lara Jade who uses quite soft diffused light (please see influence page) but still has vivid colour ranges.

John has been giving me some great tips on lighting websites - he's critiqued my work on flickr giving me handy pointers into lighting websites, one in particular is Stroboist . I have invested in a flashgun Canon 430 EX - as I will be shooting a wedding in June throughout various periods of the day.

See some of John's tips

Hi Natalie,

Just a quick reply...

North light was a fave of the victorian photographers and a bit of an Irving Penn technique. Personally I don't really care which direction it comes from, but understanding light is key if you will excuse the pun.

Bright sunlight is always a tricky one. My preference is to use it
as a backlight or sidelight rather than full on sunlight. Then
fill in by reflector/flash or just open up the exposure more on
the subject,(or you will end up with a silhouette!)
Different technique for objects in say direct evening or early
morning sunlight-they can look superb with full on direct
sunlight. But on people it's often much too harsh and contrasty.

Hope that helps a bit! Experiment yourself-it's the best way to
learn. It doesn't need to cost a fortune. Reflectors can be made
from anything light coloured-card, old sheet, foil, polystyrene
board, all sorts. Try black velvet and black matt card to kill
light spill. You can buy black velvet from sewing shops-a bit
expensive but excellent to use as a light-killing black
background.
The other important thing to remember is to bring lights and
subject well away from it. Putting the subject and or lights too
close to the background is a very common mistake.


Best wishes,

John.

Portraits using Natural Light

I have decided to take some portrait shots using natural light - most of the books I have been reading recommend experimenting with people and placing them by a north facing window slightly sideways on to create soft shadows and tones. Scott Kelby recommends using F/11 to great great sharpness a shutter speed of 1/250 and ISO 100, I will see what the conditions are like and experiment with a number of settings.

I've also been reading about how high to position my camera when taking portrait shots and making sure I do not crop anyone at their joints such as knees or elbows. It's very important to have the camera positioned correctly or the portrait images can look distorted and in some parts larger than normal.

I did not use my tripod for my natural light shots but I did for some of the engagement portrait shoot, fashion shoot and the burlesque theme, which were taken in the college studio using the studio camera stand. When taking full length shots using a tripod the camera should be aimed at waist height and the lens kept straight. Shooting 7/8 (or from the calf up) the camera should point towards the chest and the lens straight and finally head and shoulder portraits the camera should be focused on the models eyes or slightly above.

Continued.....

The models I used were my friend Sharon and her little girl Antonia, who is 20 months old. Please click on the link to see some of the shoot which I have edited, as I have imported some duplications of the same images after experimenting in photoshop with saturation levels.

I started shooting indoors at 4.30pm with my Canon 300D and my 18-55mm lens, the window was north facing - I set the camera initially at ISO 100 and as advised by Scott Kelby used a shutter speed of 1/250 and F11. It was far too dark for these settings - I think if I had artificial lighting this may have been ok. I experimented with my three lenses and experimented with different settings never exceeding ISO 800 I used only natural light indoors and outside which fortunately was sunny conditions. The shot above is taken using ISO400, 1/125 at F/5.6 and focal length of 51mm. I have desaturated the image in photoshop as it is quite dark on the right hand side.

Here I have used ISO 400, F/5.0, 1/250 focal length 140mm using 75-300mm lens - window facing in front of Antonia and to the left hand side. I stood slightly to the right.

I changed the image to black and white by desaturating it in Photoshop. I really like the contrast of Antonia's dark eyes with her pale skin and the cute characters on her high chair create pattern which depicts childhood.

I then experimented and reset my camera, I changed the lens unconventionally to my macro lens EFS 60mm USM so I could get close up head shots, I changed the ISO400 and the shutter speed 1/125 at F5.6.

In the image above, I love the blue hues in this image and the vibrancy of Antonia's lips. I really like the soft light which travels across Antonia's face dark to light as the left side of her face is positioned closer to the window.

I decided to take shots outside seeing as it was still very sunny at 5.30p.m. This was slightly more challenging getting the correct F/stop as at first the images were looking over exposed.

I have edited this image in photoshop and have removed a lot of the saturation creating an almost pastel effect like Lara Jade and Mary Ellen Mark's Miami Beach series - I have increased the saturation on the ribbon of Antonia's straw hat. I used a 75-300mm lens, ISO200, 1/125s at F/13, focal length 75mm.  After the shoot I became very aware of what was in the backgrounds which is worth noting for future reference on location portraits.

I'm really happy with the results of the shoot - it was quite challenging shooting a toddler as they tend to do their own thing and this is the attitude I adopted whilst photographing her 'doing her own thing'.

Influence - Mary Ellen Mark

Mary Ellen Mark is based in the USA - I came across her work whilst researching images of Burlesque model Dita Von Teese. I really like the contrast in tone of her images particularly the photo below of Dita Von Teese - for me the framing around the image creates a vintage photographic effect. Her work of Von Teese is simple and seductive, the images capture the sheer beauty of the model creating a glamourous effect - her skin looks very porcelain through the use of the diffused light. Your eye is automatically drawn to the top third of the image of Dita's face wearing the black mask - the stark contrast of her pale skin and dark coloured mask really stand out. She looks like a magicians assistant who has been blind folded. The lighting in the image is fairly bright in the top half and gradually fades darker into the bottom half of the shot where some of the detail at the top of her legs and corset is almost lost.

Mary Ellen mainly shoots portraits and has been doing so since the mid 1960's. Her work is fun, she seems appears to focus on portraiture themes - creating social documentaries in quite often far fetched scenarios - she has focused on portraits of twins, people in the circus or rodeos, the fuller figured lady in swimsuits, couples at Prom. Her use of colour and texture whether depicted in black and white or colour - I like the angle the image is taken from above and looking down onto the subject which almost seems to make the woman magnetize in size reflecting all the contours of the ladies full figure which as we often know are not perceived to be glamourous.

In her Miami Beach series I really like the vibrancy and colours taken in the late 1970's - the colours are extremely vivid and quite saturated but this works for me as the colours are bright in Miami due to the bright sunshine - the images reflect old age pensioners retiring to the sunshine state and enjoying themselves and trying to rekindle their youth. I really like how the blue tones in couples clothes compliment the yellow hues in the cushions, the red lipstick, nails and trim on the party hat acts as an accent colour and for me balances the image.

Circumstances - 2.7

I have found that my equipment is quite limited to take portraiture shots outside of college. I have three lenses for my camera, so emulating some of the images I have been inspired by out on location rather than in the studio is a no go. I could borrow the lighting equipment which Steve has shown us how to use but has to be booked out. I work in London during the week so have found it quite hard to keep up with the written work, working long hours up to 18hrs a day.

I thoroughly enjoy the practical side of the course which is why I enrolled and although I fully appreciate I need to research techniques and photographers the written side of the course can be a little overwhelming fitting in with life in general.

It would be quite nice to have more experience working in a studio other than the college studio. I have been speaking to other students and will hopefully get some location experience shooting weddings in June 2010.