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When I was younger
I always thought I'd like to be a photographer - taking wedding photos at the
weekends, getting invited to all the best social events, free backstage passes,
exotic locations and mixing with pretty models. For some reason things didn't
quite work out like that. Now I'm in my 40's, married with a daughter, I'm
having a second shot at establishing a part-time career in photography. The
Bournemouth Photography Blog follows my experiences whilst trying to get a
foothold in this very competitive market. I'll include plenty of photos (of
dubious quality) and some tips and advice thrown in for good measure.
Posted on 15/07/12
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Posted on 03/07/12
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Posted on 22/06/12
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Studio Portrait
Lighting with Esther |
Posted on 03/06/12
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On location
with Rachael at Church Knowlton nr Cranborne |
Posted on 30/05/12
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Home Studio Lighting with GoGoPanda |
Posted on 17/05/2012
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Model Day at DK Capture in Poole with Abi Louisa |
Posted on 28/04/2012
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Home Studio Lighting with Steaders |
Posted on 18/04/2012
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Model Day at DK Capture in Poole with Rachael Lauren |
Posted on 24/03/2012
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Abi Louisa at Double Exposure Photography Studio, Boscombe |
Posted on 20/03/2012
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Posted on 01/03/2012
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Model Day at DK Capture in Poole with Natalia Kalashnikov |
Posted on 26/02/2012
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On
Location at Sandbanks Beach with Emma Ward |
Posted on 24/02/2012
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On Location at Bournemouth Beach with
Steaders |
Posted on 23/02/2012
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camera settings)
These photos were
taken on Bournemouth beach. The weather was unseasonably good for this time of
year with temperatures up around 14˚C, cloudy skies with soft light. I decided
to try some outdoor photography. For the last couple of days I've been madly
reading up about off-camera flash (Speedliters Handbook by Sly Arena) so this
was my opportunity to try it out. I met Steaders by the pier at 10:30am and I took
along my camera (Canon 60D) + 50mm f/1.4, Canon Speedlite 580ex ii, Lastolite Ezybox 60cm x 60cm with a stand and a large gold/white reflector. I basically
tried a combination of just about everything (panic mode!). I got some great
photos (well I think so anyway) but more by luck than by any skill on my behalf. It also helped a lot
that Steaders was great looking and had plenty of patience (highly recommended). I
realized that I should have spent more time reading up about off camera flash -
it was a little bit more complicated than I first thought. Lets see how I do
tomorrow.
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Glamour Photography Lesson at Studio 11 in Poole with Roseanne |
Posted on 17/02/2012
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Another
photographer that offers studio lighting tuition is Perry Reynolds, owner of
Studio 11 Photography in Poole so I signed up for his Glamour Photography
training.
This was a 4 hour
course which cost £315 (£195 for the tuition and
studio hire and £120 for a professional model for the full 4 hours).
If you wanted to avoid the extra expense of the model you could bring your own
but I would recommend bringing a professional model as they have to pose naked
for a lot of the time and they have to have a lot of patience and good humour!).
Perry arranged Roseanne to be the model which, as you can see from the photos,
was an excellent choice. She was relaxed, friendly and easy to work with which
made my life a lot easier.
As Perry says on
his website the aim of the course is "... to enable photographers to take far
more control in what they are trying to achieve, and then to actually achieve it
e.g. to move on from just being a snapper (essentially just pointing the camera
in the right direction), to exploring the use of studio lighting and extracting
a mood or emotion from a model."
The studio set up
was basically a low key background (black velvet backdrop and floor). I brought
my own Elinchrom lights along (1 x Elinchrom BX500i flash head, 1 x Elinchrom
BX250i flash head & 2 soft boxes). Most of the shots were taken using just the
one flash head positioned to the left of the model.
The course was
roughly divided into 6 sections:
1) Appreciation of
what makes a good photo
2) Setting up the
lighting and taking a correct exposure using a flash meter
3) Head shots
4) Chest shots
5) Head and chest
shots
6) 3/4 length
shots - from knees upwards
7) Full length
shots
I am sure that
Perry doesn't want me to give away all his secrets (you'll have to book a course
with him for that!) but the general theme of the course was to divide the body
into several sections to keep thing simple, starting with the head shots and
learning to guide and position the model to achieve the best lighting effect
i.e. moving the model backwards and forwards and turning towards and away from
the light. It was amazing how such subtle movements of just a few centimetres
could change the effect completely.
Quite often when
an inexperienced photographer (like myself) approaches a subject their immediate
reaction is to start firing away and hide behind the camera. This is probably in
a bid to hide the discomfort at being faced with a great looking model and
inability to communicate effectively, which is made even worse if they are
standing there completely naked. Basically for most of us (I hope I'm not the
only one) the natural reaction is to turn into a bumbling idiot who ends up
taking hundreds of photos in the hope that just a few will turn out OK. This
course is about spending time studying the model and the way the light changes
as you move the lights or pose the model. Then when you have found that "sweet
spot" you can take the photo, review the photo and modify as necessary.
Basically calm down and take control.
Overall I found
this course really excellent and full of useful advice. Perry is a great guy and
easygoing and I am absolutely sure my photos will improve as a result of having
done this course. I felt as though he was genuinely trying to help me improve my
photography and was willing to share much of his experience (at a price!).
Highly recommended.
I have only
included a few photos of the shoot on this website as most are obviously topless
or full frontal nudes - all done in the best possible taste though. I may
add a few more images at a later date but first I will have to check what the
regulations are and also discuss it with the model.
The images also
look much better after some post production work in Photoshop (levels,
sharpening, and a very small amount of skin softening) all techniques that I am
trying to teach myself at the same time as learning about taking the photos -
information overload or what! So it's taking a little longer than expected to
get the photos onto the website as I still have a day job to do.
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Model Day at DK Capture in Poole with Elle Black |
Posted on 28/01/2012
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After my 2 hour
studio lighting tuition a couple of weeks ago I decided to sign up for a couple
of hours photography on a Model Day at
DK Capture (next to ToysRUs in Poole).
Model days are run every month with a different model each time. As
far as I am aware DK Capture is the only studio in Dorset that offers this type
of photo session. Basically a Model Day is one of the most economic ways of
photographing a professional model since the model is hired by the studio for the full day
at a discounted rate. You can then just sign up to book a session for an hour or two. The price is £45 per hour
which includes the model, studio hire and lighting assistance provided by Dave
King, the owner/photographer. Tea & coffee is also provided. This has to be
a bargain as long as you like the model. Looking at the list of models so far I
would generally categorize the models as "alternative" however this might not be
the case all the time. When I say "alternative" I mean fit body, in their 20s,
tattoos, body piercings, attitude, possibly leaning towards fetish at times, not
exactly Vogue models but attractive and much more interesting to photograph.
Maybe the models reflect the taste of the owner and may not be everyone's cup of
tea but I think there's quite a good selection of types and looks that offer the
potential of some great photos. Nearly all the models work to the level of
erotic / glamour nude / artistic nude which means tasteful nude shots are
permissible but definitely no adult-type photos (no open legs shots etc). Of
course there is no problem taking photos of the models fully clothed so you only
have to work at the level you feel comfortable with.
The model on this
occasion was Elle Black from Basingstoke. I am no expert in models but she was
very polite, professional and chatty. I have to admit I felt a bit nervous about
the shoot, I didn't want to show myself up as a complete beginner, but I needn't
have worried. The entire shoot felt very relaxed, I didn't feel anyone was
judgemental about my abilities, Dave was always to hand to offer advice and help
when needed, and Elle needed very little direction and showed interest in
viewing the photos I was taking (probably just checking I wasn't just taking
photos of her cleavage!). I arrived with a small list of lighting set-up ideas
and at the end of the session I was very pleased with the results. I did have a
try at art nude which went quite well - shots in focus, not too shaky! but I am
sure you'll be disappointed that I haven't included them here. Not that I'm a
prude but I don't want the website to suddenly become very popular for the wrong
reasons!!!! Maybe later. Overall a great time and some great photos, at least I
think so and, at the end of the day, that's all that matters.
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Studio Lighting Tuition (2 hrs) at DK Capture in Poole with Emma Sutton |
Posted on 12/01/2012
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Over Christmas and
New Year I didn't get my home studio lighting kit out much as I was busy with
other things i.e. friends & family and eating and drinking too much. However I
have realised that there is only so much I can do in the limited space of my
front lounge so I thought it was time to get some proper photography tuition in
a real studio. I contacted Dave King from DK Capture and arranged a couple of
hours of one-to-one training (for more details see our
Studio Hire page)
The 2 hour studio
lighting course cost £120 and included one-to-one training with Dave, studio
hire, lighting, a professional female model & coffee.
The course covers
the following:
-Studio Flash
-Light modifiers
-Light metering
-Lighting the subject for high key, mid key and low key
-Composition
Just to hire the
studio and model would have cost around £100 so I think this tuition offered
good value. Dave let me bring my own studio lights along so I could gain
experience using my own equipment. This was the first time I've ever been in a
photographic studio. It was a big place (1200 sq ft) with a 6m x 5m x 3m white
area used for high key photography as well as a blue & plum corner set and
various paper & fabric backdrops.
The course was a
basic introduction to studio photography with the aim of getting you confident
enough to hire the studio with a model in the future. We started with high key
lighting (bright white background) using one and then two lights, and moved on
to mid key lighting which was basically shooting a model against a white
background which was more indirectly lit and looked grey in the photo. We used
soft boxes and also a beauty dish to give more harsh shadows.
Overall I think
this was a very useful course although the time flew by far too quickly to be
able to experiment much. I'll have to save that for another session. Emma, the
model, was very nice and easy to talk to. She was a professional model who
obviously had experience with people like myself. She didn't need any direction
and just went through her repertoire of poses without me having to ask her. At
least that part was easy. To remind me where the lights were positioned I took
some photos that included the lights - these ended up being some of my favorite
photos from the session.
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First portraits taken at home |
Posted on 23/12/2011 by mike
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Lastolite HiLite 6x7ft background |
Posted on 19/12/2011 by mike
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Elinchrom Studio Lighting Kit |
Posted on 17/12/2011 by mike
Posted on 14/12/2011 by mike
Title: Light It,
Shoot It, Retouch It: Learn Step by Step How to Go from Empty Studio to Finished
Image
Author: Scott Kelby
Price:
£20.99 on Amazon
I already had The
Digital Photography Book Volume 1, 2 & 3 by Scott Kelby which I thought were
excellent
Title: Digital
Photography Boxed Set: Volumes 1, 2 & 3
Author: Scott
Kelby
Price:
£18.70 on Amazon
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Plan
of Action - and a much smaller budget. |
Posted on 12/12/2011 by mike
Having decided not to study photography full time my new plan of action will be
to buy some teach-yourself-studio-photography books and buy a basic home studio
lighting set up and then go and get some one-to-one lessons with a local
photographer. When I start to understand the basics then I'll hire out a studio
on an hourly basis when needed and look for some local models willing to give
their time in exchange for helping them develop their model portfolio (known as
TFP - Time for Prints, or TFCD - Time for a Cd of digital photos). I´ve
calculated my overall budget for the first year to be about £4500. This includes
about £2500 in new equipment, £1500 in tuition, studio time & models and £500 in
advertising and publicity. I plan to make no money from photography at all
during this first year and offer my services for free in order to develop a
suitable portfolio of work. If anyone really likes the work and wants to pay me
something then I'm thinking about donating it to the Macmillan Cancer Support
charity as they do so much great work in the area. I won't be needing to buy a
new camera for the time being as I already have a fairly new Canon EOS 60D with
a 70-200mm EF f/4 L IS lens and a 17-44mm EF f/4 L lens.
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BA in
Photography at Bournemouth - course fees only £8,600 per year! |
Posted on 10/12/2011 by mike
Over the last few days I've been looking at photography courses. As far as I can
see to be a photographer you don't actually need any formal qualifications. The
Arts University College in Bournemouth offer a 3 year BA (Hons) degree in
Photography & Commercial Photography but to be honest I haven't got the time to
do a full time course or the money. Nowadays getting a degree isn't cheap. Any
student thinking of starting a degree course in 2012 will be faced with course
fees of £8,600. So for three years you'd be looking at £25,800!! That
doesn't include living expenses or supporting a family! And that doesn't include
any camera equipment or a guarantee of a job at the end of it. It's not really
surprising that I think I'll stick at my day job and learn about photography in
my spare time.
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Checking Out the Competition. |
Posted on 09/12/2011 by mike
A few weeks ago I decided to write the Bournemouth Photography website after
spending the day on the internet trying to find information about local
photographers in the Bournemouth and Poole area. If I planned on becoming a
photographer then I had better spend some time checking out the competition! The
more that I researched the subject the more confused I got. Out of all the
professions I thought that photographers' websites would be the most visually
spectacular and packed with work that would inspire me. I not only expected
photographers to have a great eye for taking photos but I also expected great
graphical and artistic presentation. However, on the whole, I was generally
disappointed at the quality on show (but who am I to judge). Out of about 70
photographers that I found listed in the Bournemouth & Poole area I found only a
handful that had what could be considered professional-looking websites. I
realise that a great photographer can probably live off recommendations and
probably doesn't need to rely on a website to promote their work but there must
be quite a few who need the added business from casual internet browsers. I was
also looking for a photography course in the area, somewhere where I could learn
about studio lighting and get some basic tuition on taking portraits and
possibly wedding photography. Again I couldn't easily find the information that
I wanted. Don't get me wrong, I am sure that there are some great photographers
out there and probably some good value courses that I can take but I just
couldn't find them easily. That's why I've decided to write a guide myself. Well
maybe not a guide as such but more of a directory of local photographic services
in the hope that I can bring together professional photographers, students,
models, model agencies, amateur photographers and potential clients. That's the
idea anyway - let's see what happens. At the beginning of December when I was
looking for a website name just about every domain name which included any
combination of the words Bournemouth, Dorset, wedding photographer,
photographer, wedding photography, were already taken. However, for some strange
reason, nobody wanted the bournemouthphotography.com domain so it seemed a
natural place to start. Thanks for leaving it for me!
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Welcome to Bournemouthphotography.com |
Posted on 07/12/2011 by mike
This is the blog section of the
www.bournemouthphotography.com website. If you’ve arrived at this page
via the link on the main Bournemouth Photography website then you will already
have realised that the website is not complete. In fact it is far from complete,
I’ve only just started it! Over the next 6 months I plan to develop the website
to include useful information about the photography business in the Bournemouth
area. Although the website is mainly aimed at amateur photographers (like
myself) who are looking to develop their skills, I hope that it will also be
useful to members of the public who want to find a reputable local photographer
either to photograph their wedding day or to take some great family portraits.
The website may also be of interest to people looking for a career in modelling
and want to put together a portfolio at a reasonable price or for
semi-professional models who are looking for work or just want to promote their
talents.
I’ve never blogged before so I’m definitely a newbie at this and will probably
end up blogging to myself for a couple of months but that doesn’t matter. If in
a couple of years from now I’m a semi-professional photographer with a tidy
portfolio of work behind me and I am earning a little bit of money from the
business then you will be able to look back and see how I did it. If, however,
I’m a top professional earning a fortune then it’s possible that you may have
arrived at this page via the Blog “archives” and are looking for the secret of
my success. I may have deleted it all by then! Of course if everything goes
wrong and my efforts end in miserable failure then you can take comfort in the
fact that you decided not to leave you day job!! Hopefully you'll
be able to learn from some of my errors and have decided to take a different, more
successful route.
Being an amateur photographer I would appreciate any feedback from any of the
more professional ones amongst you who can point me in the right direction and keep me on the
right track. If anyone requires an assistant when you are taking some wedding
photos or help holding a reflector in the studio please think of me.
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