The Photo Blog

A&C Black, publishers of the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook have recently recommissioned an update to my ongoing article on the subject of working as a Professional Photographer.  First published in 1998, the article has been updated over the years to accommodate the many changes that have taken place in this ever-evolving industry.  Since the advent of digital photography and web-based marketing, it has been possible for Photographers reach global markets more readily. The article provides a wealth of information on how best to exploit these markets, whether seeking commissioned-based jobs, or selling existing images via international agencies.

This is the 104th edition of the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook and can be purchased at leading bookstores and via the web. It can also be found in the reference section of most UK libraries. I will keep you posted as to when the 2011 edition becomes available.  You can reach the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook blog here.

Further to my las blog entry, just a few days later the snow came tumbling down all over Britain.  Here are a few scenes from the local park in Wilmslow, Cheshire.  All shot with a Nikon D2x and 18-200 vr lens.

Just to prove that my almost antique Nikon d70 can still deliver, the above photo was taken on the 28th of December 2009 at the peak of Kinder Scout in the Peak District National Park.  Even at a temperature of around minus 3, the camera’s electronics didn’t fail me - not bad for an ‘amateur’ body.  I predominantly use a Nikon D2x and will probably be purchasing the Nikon D700 very shortly (purely for it’s low-light shooting ability), but the light-weight body of the D70 meant I actually bothered to carry a camera at all on this occasion.  The trip wasn’t planned and was a spontaneous decision during the final hours of daylight.  I reached the peak at sunset and much of the descent was by moonlight - thankfully, it was a clear sky with a full moon, but I still managed to lose the path once or twice.  Some might say I also fell head over heals on ice during the final part of the descent, but rest assured the D70 is still in one piece!

Nikon D70, Nikon 18-200vr (at 18mm), shutter - 1/100th, aperture - F5, ISO - 200, handheld.

Commissioned photo assignments take up much of my time and style and subject matter are mostly dictated by the needs of the client, which can sometimes stifle creativity.  Therefore, during those rare occasions when jobs are not running back-to-back, I sometimes find a window of opportunity to shoot whatever I want, whether it be for portfolio, stock, or just for fun.

I have photographed the couple featured here in the past (link and link), but clearly this is another chapter of their on-going story.  Being friends with the ‘models’, I have more of an opportunity to develop my own ideas and also have the freedom to play with camera techniques, lighting and backgrounds, etc as the end result does not have to suit a pre-established brief .  In addition to shooting in a more relaxed fashion, it also gives me a great deal of pleasure to provide final images which I know will be treasured for life, rather than be yesterday’s news within a short space of time.

The images featured here were shot with Elinchrom studio flash, but I have just recently purchased the Nikon SB900 flash and plan to test this off camera (remote) and on location.  I will post the results as I shoot them.

Camera - Nikon D2x, Flash - two Elinchrom studio mono heads, Models - two friends.  Home studio.  Click any image for larger view.

A recent family vacation to Corfu and I thought I’d be laying my camera to rest for a couple of weeks. Not so, only two days in to the holiday and I discovered from a Greek local that in a matter of hours an important annual event was due to commence, hosted by the residents of the small and picturesque fishing town of Kassiopi. For me, this was a great opportunity to shoot some interesting stock photography.

This religious celebration, known as ‘Panigiria’, is actually a daylong ancient Greek festival. It commenced at the small church of Kassiopi, where a large procession led by bearded Greek Orthodox Priests, slowly made its way around the village, stopping periodically for moments of prayer. Locals and tourists alike crowded the streets to watch the parade march by. Once arriving back at the church, candles were lit and bread shared out amongst those participating in religious tradition.

The evening event was a little less somber. Everyone was encouraged to feast from the many street barbeques and to join in with the customary ‘circle dancing’ hosted by Greek men and women in traditional dress. Finally, a climatic firework display lit up the sky and completed the celebration sometime around midnight. This was a day when a town normally known for its tranquility became a bustling street party and place of life and atmosphere - and a day when the temperature peaked at over 40 degrees!

Click on any image to see larger version

All images were captured with a Nikon D2x and 18-200 vr Nikon lens. A nikon SB800 flash was used for most of the night shots.

Once again, I have published my on-going article in the 2010 edition of the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook (A&C Black) on the subject of working as a Professional Photographer.  First published in 1998, the article has been updated over the years to accommodate the many changes that have taken place in this ever-evolving industry.  Since the advent of digital photography and web-based marketing, it has been possible for Photographers to sell their images globally. The article provides a wealth of information on how to best exploit these markets, whether seeking commissioned-based jobs, or selling existing images via international agencies.

The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook can be purchased at leading book stores and via the web, or can be found in the reference section of most local libraries.

Low-key lighting is a technique where normally only one light source is utilised and can be a fantastic way to create images of the nude body without revealing too much.  In addition, because only selected areas of the subject are illuminated, the lighting can be controlled to achieve a far more flattering image than, for example, a more typical soft frontal lighting.  This image was created on location in a dining room.  A black drape was placed over a hanger to act as a background and the lightsource was a single Elinchrom studio flash, modified with a small softbox.  ’Barn doors’ were used to prevent the light from straying on to the background or from creating lens flare and the light was positioned roughly 45 degrees behind the model, Lisa.   Keep watching this space - more images from this shoot will be added to my blog as I complete them. Camera - Nikon D2x, 18-200 vr Nikon lens.  Assisted by Andrea.

The image below was shot using natural window light.

Click on any image for a larger view

Bamburgh Castle

A quick trip to Northumberland saw some cold and windy weather but some fantastic evening light, as this shot of Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland illustrates. Summer lighting in the UK is often misty and I have found time and again that cold days can yield the best results due to the crystal quality of light. A sunny evening sky, coupled with a great location delivered all the elements required to create a stunning landscape. Camera - Nikon D2x, Tripod, 1 second exposure at f16, Nikon 18-200 vr , 100 asa.

Click image for larger view.

Click on any image for a larger view

I have recently produced a flyer and business card to promote ’stylish portraiture’ and therefore needed a few new images that would work together as a theme. I have placed a few of the resulting images here with a description of how they were created for those interested in the technicalities. All but one image were shot over a single weekend with very simple photo equipment. All subjects were friends and family - no models.

The first image (above) was shot in a real bedroom, not a studio. Shooting in confined spaces is usually much more challenging than using a studio because it is always a compromise in terms of where the lights and reflectors can be placed and it can sometimes be very difficult to achieve the effect you want. Initially, I attempted to use the natural light from the bedroom window, only to find (as usual) British winter light is too low if you want the versatility of hand-held photography, rather than confining yourself to a tripod. As far as I remember, the natural light reading was something like 1/8th of a second at f4. Any subject movement also would have shown up, even if I had used a tripod.

I therefore decided to use studio flash - two Elinchrom heads, one bounced off the back wall with an opaque umbrella attached and the other shot through a soft box about 45 degrees off to my right. The head to my right was therefore essentially a ‘fill in flash’, as it was set two stops lower in power than the flash creating the backlight/environment light. For the final shot (above) I was stood on a chair. Camera used - Nikon D2x, aperture - F9, shutter - 1/100th of a second, ASA - 100, Lens - Nikon 18-200 vr at 36mm.

The shot above was much more simple, other than the fact that the 5 year old child involved wanted to play rather than be photographed. I had about 15 minutes to get the best shot I could (which is a common times scale with children), but was lucky enough to have lots of light and a perfect tree stump facing in the right direction for making the most of the background and lighting. I attempted to take this shot with a 70-200 nikon vr lens (probably my best lens for sharpness, plus its ability to throw the background out of focus when zoomed to 200mm and used with an open aperture). However, one big disadvantage of using a telephoto lens is that it is difficult to communicate with your subject (and in this case keep control) due to the distance between each of you. I therefore used a Nikon fixed 50mm lens at an aperture of f3.5, 100asa, 1/80th of a second. The second image of the 9 year old boy was a little easier due to his age. The Nikon D2x has the smaller DX chip, effectively magnifying non-DX lenses by an additional 50 percent (approx). Therefore, the 50mm lens would effectively have a focal length more like an 80mm - pretty good for portraits!

The next image (above) was simple to create, the hardest part was getting the baby to look towards the camera. This was shot with a single Elinchrom flash head with a small square soft box attached and offset to my left. The mother was actually holding her baby over her shoulder and was wearing a black shirt. The background was simply a black double bed sheet (which I purchased from Tesco for about £4) draped behind. To keep light off the background, I stood the ‘model’ as far away from it as possible and used a barn door or flag to shade the soft box and prevent light spillage in that direction. The image of the couple  was photographed in a very similar way to the baby. Camera - Nikon D2x, Lens - Nikon 18-200vr set at f7.1, asa - 100, shutter - 1/160th.

The final image (above) was shot for the front of a publicity flyer. This is in fact an old image, shot around 9 years ago on black and white film. I therefore don’t have an exact record of the data, but do remember it was shot with a single Elinchrom studio flash head, with a soft box light modifier that was around 4ft by 4 ft in size. The camera used at the time would have been a Nikon FM2, together with a 100 mm fixed focal length lens. Click on any image for a larger view.

Since 1998 I have published an on-going article in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook (A&C Black) on the subject of working as a professional Photographer.  I am delighted to confirm that the publishers have recently asked me to contribute to the 2010 edition.  For those interested in making a living from photography, the article offers a wealth of information on ways to achieve success and includes information on creating a portfolio, successful marketing techniques, stock photography, plus additional advice on setting up your own image library.  The 2009 edition is currently available at most book shops, on-line and in the reference section of libraries.