An exploration into the creation of inspiring images; the captured moment that thrills and excites the mind into feeling emotion and influence.
Rock generations
I hear far too many people say that only old people listen to rock music. For one, straight away, fuck off! I’m only 19 for god sake! I have many years ahead of me yet youth! But what depresses me more is the fact that there are kids actually bullied for listening to Elvis, Chuck Berry and the likes of ELO, Def Leopard and Kiss! I just don’t understand how you can hate a person who wants to be like Gene Simmons! A man renowned for shagging half the female population! How is that a bad thing?
Then I see youtube videos of AC/DC, Guns’n’Roses and Black Sabbath…Bands from the 70’s and 80’s (Old man music apparently) and there are always comment after comment by little kids and teenagers of both genders from all sides of the world stating how proud they are to be rock fans. Reading that kinda thing just makes me sleep better at night.
(via kjohnnywmyownvisions)
Possible subjects:
The idea to photograph the bank manager has been abandoned as we have been advised to stay away from bank representatives. They prove to be difficult to get a hold of and security risks cause endless problems in shooting schedules. Therefore I decided to switch my gaze to the north.
The easiest subjects for me to photograph in terms of winning an audience with them are mostly based in my home city of Stoke-On-Trent. I know many people who own/run businesses or are high standing representatives of companies/institutions such as the headmaster of my old high school.
The following is a list of some possible people/businesses to photograph for the ‘Boss’ project:
.Spyder Bats- The founder, AKA ‘Spyder’, is a close friend to my family
.ICT Networks- The founder and a number of his employees are also friends to the family.
.Bagnall C.C- The captain and head of the club is a friend of the family, has hired me for multiple jobs in the past and is also the founder of his own building company.
.The Plough- The owners of the pub are personal friends of mine who hired me to perform in their pub many times. The awkward fact about this pub is that it’s positioned right next door to our police station…easy drinking lads.
.The Canal Tavern- Also owned by friends of myself and my family.
.Maryhill High School- The headmaster is a supporter of all her students both at the school and at university/college.
.Kidsgrove tattoo parlour- The owner of the parlour is the second half of a personal friend of mine who wants photographs taken of herself and her partner.
.Theatrical producer/director- My brother is a professional actor currently working with multiple producers and directors around London and Newcastle such as Sam West.
I should contact a few of these as soon as I can to arrange a shooting date but will also have to ensure they are free over a weekend considering that this will be the only time I can travel back to Stoke.
If there’s one thing this project has taught me so far…it’s to make many friends.
These are some of the shots taken during our second practical session with outdoor/location flash equipment. We were once again situated at the fountains outside Ravensbourne and the O2 arena. This time, however, we wanted to actually get in the water and get some motion freezing shots using the ranger kit. Therefore we sent in, with little persuasion as it was her idea, Sofia to pull off some dance moves etc whilst we splashed water in her direction. We eventually gave her an umbrella as a prop and to make the images make more sense. When I picked up the camera to give the set up a blast, I had the light higher pointing down towards the models’ face but had her hold the umbrella above her head at an angle. This created a dramatic shadow across half of her face also known as chiaroscuro lighting. I also had her lower the prop to her legs for a full body shot with an upbeat atmosphere. The shot in question holds a juxtaposition between the glum weather and her contagious laugh. We eventually gave the prop to a male model and had him stand in the fountain with the umbrella inverted. He then posed in a comical shape whilst water was splashed into him for the opposite side. The flashy then froze the water in mid air to create a dynamic but comical photograph.
For the boss project, I had in mind this scene from the film ‘Layer Cake’ starring Daniel Craig and Michael Gambon.
To ensure the career of the bank manager is represented accurately within the shots, I wanted the outdoor shot to be a homage to this scene. The model will be on a roof, hopefully the one on Ravensbourne if I can get permission, with Canary Wharf in the background flanking him like wings.
Boss Project
For this commission style project, we are to take two editorial portraits to be published in a magazine using mixed lighting techniques.
The subject must be represented as a ‘business executive’ personality.
The model does not entirely need to be wearing a suit and clearly represent a high end business/law firm. We have been advised to study shots from magazines such as ‘Top Gear’ where personalities of the project’s standard can be seen in more casual conditions.
I do know several people back in Stoke-On-Trent that would more than fit the brief from both a traditional and casual style. However, travelling all the way to Stoke may prove to be more of an arse ache than is necessary. Instead I did some asking around and found out that the step brother of my flat-mate happens to be a bank manager in London. It may be difficult to find a gap in his diary but if I can get him to agree to a shoot then this project will be to a start.
Corporate photography is a form of photography I have never planned on attempting. Being of a more rebellious and rock nature, the idea has never appealed to me but as they say, there is a first time for everything.
Corporate photography seems to follow a general set of rules which are to empower an individual but also make them seem approachable, represent and empower the company they represent and sell the product/brand they offer.
There are several exceptions, such as Richard Branson who seems to thoroughly enjoy his publicity in the media. He does not conform to the expectations when it comes to corporate photography. He refuses to wear suits, ties or to pose in a conventional way for a business icon. However, the style of lighting and general photography follows the same guidelines as conventional business photography.
Other exceptions include the likes of Sir Alan Sugar who always appears far more empowered than is strictly necessary in his photographs. This would be due to his participation in the entertainment side of mainstream media. His reputation as the ‘hard to please’ badass of business mostly earned it’s fame from ‘The Apprentice’ series and this is often reflected within his portraits.
These are two of the edits I produced.
One is a standard headshot with the aim of creating a blank canvas for any casting directors to work with. The other was more ‘intimidating’ personality for his ‘folio of character types.
I was recently asked to shoot some headshots for Christopher Ashman and his agency.
He said he wanted shots similar to his old ones, standard 10x8’s with a black B/G, with stubble.
He arrived at the flat midday on saturday, meaning the shots had to be done inside under studio conditions. The problem with this was that the only place the shoot could take place was on the top floor next to huge double glass doors. Also, the flat is primarily painted in light colours and white. So I had to spend the first 5 minutes running around the entire flat ensuring all curtains were drawn, all doors were shut and all lights were off (This was to prevent the light from downstairs bouncing off of the white walls up into the main room). Unfortunately, the light outside was so bright that it was bleeding through the curtains in the room we were shooting in. This led to another 20 minutes being spent finding every rug, towel and cloth in the building to cover the windows with and stop ALL light dead.
When that was done and we had a completely dark room, I set up my small portaflash unit and pegged a black bed sheet to the curtains of the double doors. I also had my brother hold the white side of a reflector up to his right to add a catch light in his eyes and fill in any harsh shadows the RAW flash light would produce.
In total, I took 49 shots before I concluded we had enough to work with in lightroom.
I think the images are too flat, I did my best to darken the room completely but there was nothing I could do to control light all together. The light walls combined with the raw flash light was enough to ensure that the whole room was completely bathed in light when the flash fired. Just gotta’ make the most out of what you’ got I suppose. The client was happy with them though, he even recommended me to another actor who has now booked a session with me, can’t complain…
These two shots are from our first location flash lesson. We went outside of the university just in front of the O2 arena with one ranger flash unit. I was first to shoot in our group, I wanted to get shots with the pillars and poles from the O2 arc and the fountains on the floor. I also wanted to photograph the sun as it was at a beautiful angle by the time we went out to shoot.
I tried both high and low angles for the shoot and found that both perspectives can work depending on the feel of the shot you’re trying to capture. I found that the better shots were more dramatic exposures where clouds and the sun add an atmospheric dynamic, shoot from a lower angle to capture more of the location whilst keeping the subject the main focus of the shot.
