KJohnnyW-Shoot to Thrill

Rock generations

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:25:42 -0500

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.

Rough notes upload february 2012.

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:36:02 -0500

Lighting plan

Silhouette photography

Location Flash

MHS headmistress

Boss project rough notes

Power Project rough notes 1

Power project rough notes 2

Composite Photography

Rough notes upload february 2012.

Possible subjects:

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:27:00 -0500

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...

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:53:06 -0500

Umbrella shade

Dynamic angle

Billow

Umbrella shield

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...

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:05:54 -0500

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

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:52:37 -0500

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...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:07:07 -0500

Peter Jones

Corporate photograph

Richard Branson

Sir Alan Sugar

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...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:57:54 -0500

Headshot 1

Headshot 2

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...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:30:00 -0500

Contact sheet 1

Contact sheet 2

Contact sheet 3

Lighting diagram

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...

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 05:13:00 -0500

Lower angle.

Higher Angle.

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.

This is a statue in my home city of Stoke in the city centre,...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 07:52:47 -0500

They died for your freedom

Stoke Statue

This is a statue in my home city of Stoke in the city centre, Hanley. I photographed this statue once before and wanted to return to photograph it whilst I was home over christmas. It’s a sad juxtaposition between the context of the statue and what it stands for and the world it overlooks. The face of the statue stares down a dark alley often littered with drunks beneath lazy architecture of the modern day whilst youths abuse and assault older generations and no one stops to help. The soldiers who fought and died for this country died for this?

"‘Nature captured me, I’m just returning the favour’"

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:21:40 -0500

“‘Nature captured me, I’m just returning the favour’”

- Nate Zeman, nature photographer

I photographed The Fears last night, they are an incredible band...

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:46:29 -0500

Oliver Davies

Craig Parr

Andrew Redfern

Daniel Finn

Alex Coleman

I photographed The Fears last night, they are an incredible band and really well-known in Stoke. I shot these at what was voted the best small music venue in the midlands, The Sugarmill.

Apart from one person, Craig Parr, all of the band members are old friends of mine.

I still don’t feel I’ve quite gotten the hang of photographing live performance lighting. It’s a complete nightmare, you simply cannot shoot in any auto modes. The light is too dull for auto focus to work properly, the lights are constantly changing and therefore TTL metering is a no go. Plus, I have to use wide open apertures to allow enough light into the sensor but the drawback is that, as I have such a small focus area, if the person moves an inch then the focus is fucked!

Just gotta keep shooting’ I ‘spose…

My graffiti art project has now begun with the first uploads...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 17:42:00 -0500

London Graffiti

London Graffiti

London Graffiti

London Graffiti

My graffiti art project has now begun with the first uploads onto Facebook and my website.

This is the text introduction on the website project page:

Take a walk around pretty much any city in the world today and you are bound to come across graffiti art, wether or not you would call it ‘art’. Many people consider graffiti to be nothing more than a visual monstrosity spat onto the civilised walls of modern society by rebellious youths. Others, myself included, disagree.

Graffiti is an incredibly old artform if you see it from the right perspective. Tribes and civilisations have practicing the art of graffiti since humanity began…it was one of mankind’s first form of communication before we developed language. Prehistoric illustrations have been found on cave walls, the ancient egyptians used illustrations painted onto walls as a means of communicating stories and instructions, aborigines are well known for painting illustrations onto rock surfaces as signs and stories and tribal communities across Africa’s history used graffiti illustrations as warnings to hostile tribes.

I find it interesting that when ancient forms of graffiti are found, which often were used as aggressive warnings towards others, we show ultimate appreciation for mankind’s visual mark on history. We even applaud and admire our ancestor’s abilities to produce illustrations of such beautiful detail but when graffiti is seen in the modern day in modern cities we frown upon them and tut at our younger generations.

What people fail to appreciate is the fact that graffiti we see today is more than just vandalism, it is an ancient artform evolved over thousands of years. They tell stories, express emotions and opinions (portraits of the deceased are painted onto the walls of Gaza) More importantly, it allows our teenagers to express themselves artistically.

I have therefore produced this project as a way of showcasing the amazing vibrant art we can find on the streets of our world. Don’t condemn them, appreciate them.

http://www.wix.com/jackpott5/kjohnnywphotography

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:44:00 -0500

http://www.wix.com/jackpott5/kjohnnywphotography:

Website has been updated with the latest images of Whiskey Whores who just played an acoustic set on moorlands radio. They also gave my work some good publicity on air which is always good to hear. Cheers lads!

These are some of the shots I took during a rehearsal and live...

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 14:13:00 -0500

Benji Lynx-Motion Blur

Benji and Chris

Dani Vanity

Tim Goijka

These are some of the shots I took during a rehearsal and live gig from the Whiskey Whores. I don’t usually shoot in colour as I’ve been far too used to converting high noise level images to B/W. Since I got my D90, however, I can take higher ISO images at lower noise levels so colour is a practise I am now taking up in rock photography.

I was particularly pleased with the first shot of Benji, the motion blur just shouts ‘rock’ and gives the viewer a notion towards how much energy goes into this musicians performance.

The second shot is an image which forms as an example of how editing can save an image. the original RAW file was far too cluttered and wore too many clashing colours. This led to the eye simply not being able to rest comfortably on one place and scan the image from there. So I simply converted the image to black and white and used a well controlled vignette effect to black out all cluttered space. This also changes the lighting type to a kind of spotlight which adds a bigger sense of drama to the photograph.

I love the green in the shot of Dani. The colour combined with the harsh shadows really represents his edgy nature. Don’t get me wrong, he’s awesome to be around but you can’t help but think he could easily skin a dragon with his own face if he got smashed enough.

It’s a good job I’m good friends with the band otherwise I wouldn’t have been allowed to jump on stage for this shot of Tim during a drum solo. Trust me when I say that this guy is easily one of the best drummers in the county…plus he’s a hilarious character. He’s kinda like that granddad who sits in a corner and randomly bursts out with fantasy bullshit.

Rock’n’Roll Photography: Whiskey Whores Promo...

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:15:00 -0500

Whiskey Whores: Car

Whiskey Whores: Jailhouse

Whiskey Whores: Slum gathering

Whiskey Whores: Street Light impression

Rock’n’Roll Photography: Whiskey Whores Promo shoot

Whilst back in Stoke, I hung out with some friends of mine during their practises at the studios near Staffordshire University. They wanted some photographs taken to put on their Facebook page and possibly for an album cover. While I was there they asked if I could do some promo shots. The biggest bitch was the fact that it was pitch black outside and the lighting conditions inside the building were poor. Don’t get me wrong, this recording studio is epic in terms of rock’n’roll mise-en-scene but the light was way too low. I did come up with some remedies however.

The first shot of the band in the car was a shot that Dani, the lead singer, desperately wanted to get so I just asked the guitarist to park his car at a certain angle to the right of the car they were in and leave his headlights on. I had to use a 50mm f/1.8 lens to allow enough light in without having to push the ISO too high an loose image quality.

The second shot was a more difficult shot to get as we had to use both cars for the lighting otherwise the metal bars cast terrible shadows all over the faces of the band. We also had to get the shot quickly as one of our cars was blocking the entrance to the studio.

The third shot was taken inside the studio sitting area. It’s kind of a rough area but fits the genre perfectly. Again, the light was terribly low key and was coming from one lamp in a corner. So I picked up the lamp and dragged it closer to the band.

The final shot was a part of a series of shots taken in studio style conditions. As stated, I didn’t have any flash gear so I had to improvise. There was an incandescent light hanging low on the wall of the studio entrance. There was also a black wall about 2 meters behind the band and therefore came out almost perfect black on camera. The idea was to imitate a street light in order to make the band look like a menacing gang, an idea inspired by a Ross Halfin shot of Guns’N’Roses. The noise level of the image is bad but, given the light I had to work with, the image turned out not too bad. The band loves them anyway, ‘suppose that’s the idea…

Tattoo Art/Graffiti Art projects:

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 17:36:00 -0500

Graffiti:

I already photographed many of the artwork found in the skatepark at southbank, these gave me a great start to the project and gave me better inspiration and ideas for finding/photographing artwork on the streets of other cities than London. Now that I am back in Stoke for the Christmas break and I have a try-pod, I was thinking of travelling to a park called ‘Hanley-Forest Park’ near the heart of Stoke. there is a skate park there also painted in graffiti. I want to go there late afternoon time in order to photograph the setting sun in wider angle shots.

…But, let’s be honest, this is Stoke. I only have to walk 1 minute around the corner to find the local Co-op tagged on the side. There are many places I can go in Stoke to find graffiti, perhaps not the most artistic work though…I don’t think illustrations of cocks qualify as complex artwork.

Tattoos:

I haven’t yet photographed any tattoo work but I have a line up of 4 people so far willing to model their ink for my camera. One particular model is willing to show me her ink but her parents do not know and therefore she wishes to remain ‘unknown’ within the shoot. Fortunately her tattoo is on the side of her breast and is therefore easy to conceal her identity within the shot. All I have to do is not photograph her face and photoshop out any defining marks/scars etc that may compromise our confidentiality.

For the background I originally wanted pure black by bringing...

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:01:00 -0500

For the background I originally wanted pure black by bringing the model 3 meters in front of the B/G and using strip lights and poly strips to control the light. However, after looking more into other renaissance styled photographs, I want to conform the style of backdrop/texture this image displays for a vintage/old atmospheric. It also follows closer to the original texture of the paper Da Vinci drew the image on.

Renaissance inspired photograph: Produce a studio portrait image...

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:46:00 -0500

Renaissance inspired photograph:

Produce a studio portrait image in the style of a renaissance painting of your choice.

I decided to look towards this famous drawing from Leonardo da Vinci. It may not follow the brief entirely but it’s an idea I have really taken to and Gill has approved. I have some rough ideas of how I can produce a photographic incarnation of this image.

There are two methods to create the effect of overlapping bodies. One is digital manipulation and is easier…the other will be more difficult and technical to produce.

The digital option will simply include taking two photographs and then overlapping them in photoshop, simple enough. The second option will involve producing the overlapping effect in one shot. To do this I will need a strobe flash or any flash with a test button and some black card or fabric. I would have position the model in the first pose, take the shot with the flash, then cover the lens with an opaque black material to block all light from entering the lens, re-position the model into the second pose, remover the black material and fire the flash again all on the same exposure. It will take a BULB shutter speed setting to active this.