Co-op Shoot

Back in Bournemouth after 16hours of driving covering 830miles, the length of England in

2days, NEVER AGAIN!

The shoot went as well as it could bar forgetting to shoot an important stand which i forgot to do, but thankfully with a little help with photoshop, i put one together and the client was very happy with the final set of images. So much so, he has book me for another Shoot in June, a 2day for Co-op again.

here are some of the best images from the north east.

Placement

here are a few of the important people i have not yet been able to reach in my search for a placement.

Ian Crawford

http://www.iaincrawford.com/

Nick Knight (no it wasn't had written so there is my reason why) but working on it!

http://www.nickknight.com/

Spiros Politis

http://www.spirospolitis.com/

Seamus Ryan - maybe happening, find out next week.

http://www.seamus.co.uk/

and Rankin

http://www.rankin.co.uk/

I have had some replies from and talked about dates with.

Joe Windsor-Williams - Topgear photographer!

http://www.joeww.com/

Seamus Ryan - maybe happening, find out next week.

http://www.seamus.co.uk/

Laura Pannack - Portrait photographer

http://www.laurapannack.com/

Times running out, fingers crossed i get something solid sorted out soon!

Networking-Co-op

So, a few weeks ago i was at a friends birthday party back home, and got chatting to his father about work, what i do, what he does and so on. To my joy i find out he is in advertising, and a few minutes of talking and a couple of drinks later he asks for my contact details, saying he would keep me in mind of any future work that i might be included in.

Nothing for weeks, then out of the blue, an email asking if i would like to an "unchallenging" shoot for Co-op in Newcastle, images of the store and products for next seasons turn around, images to go around the country to every Co-op store, expenses, hotel and travel costs paid for on top of pay. "the shoots on Sunday, can you make it" this being Friday and i'm in Bournemouth, couldn't be further from Newcastle if i tried, but of course i said yes.

I asked to be sent some examples of previous images and i would be bullshitting you if i said i wasnt blow away from the examples given. which thankfully took a lot of pressure off me.

Here are some of the examples of past shoots.

Pack shots

Store shots

So, i have now got a 7hour drive from Bournemouth to the north west on my own, shoot at 7pm-2am, hopefully sleep for a few hours, then turn around and drive back 7hours to crack on with any post production needed.

will let you know how it goes.

Memories of Old

Today, i went to an old people's home to do a shoot i have coined "Memories of old" A project based on capturing people's facial expressions as they tell me about their memories. I sat down with each subject for about half an hour, talking to them, getting to know them, and making them feel relaxed, as the time went on i slowly hint at past moments where things didnt go to well for them, ask them to expand on it and open up. The stories i heard were real, honest and interesting. Some said nothing, others made light of a dark situation and simply laughed it off. Here are a few of my favorite images.

"Anne"

"Anne" the moment when say told me her hardest memory was when, "my son died" "thats all im going to say!"

"Joyce"

"Joyce" recalling the time she lost her hearing.

"June"

"June" as she talks about her 11th birthday, her family were all in a car accident. Here she tells me how her mothers head was "crushed" and her neck was badly cut, she spent 11months in hospital.

Gaia Fashion

Today i had a shoot in the studio on the topic of "Gaia Fashion" a theory of how the world all works as one, everything in tune with one and other. I was set a brief to photograph a Portrait "gaia fashion" shot for the front cover of a magazine, and a landscape as a double spread. For my shoot i decided to go down the route of portraying recycling as a reusable fashion statement.

For the shoot, i pulled together two blackout/reflector boards in studio to make a fake wall, i then cover it in newspaper, ones i had everything correct, i pulled the model into the scene and did the same to her. wrapping paper from the floor to her chest to represent a fashionable dress whilst still looking as if she was part of the set.

Here is the final image.

Once i had completed this look, i need to achieve my landscape shot. For this, i used the same concept, but replaced the paper with plastic bags. I then used a large "Primark" fitted and structured around the model as a fashionable dress.

Here is the final outcome.

I have now started on turning the first image into a front page of a magazine. I chose "iD" and here is a little something im working on.

Let me know what you think.

Is it wrong?

So, today i was helping a friend out on one of his shoots. It was in the open fields of the new forest and was bloody freezing!! the problem is, i took a few snaps when we had finished of the model (who is my girlfriend) the images i took came out really nice. the question is, "is it wrong" for me to use them? as the shoot was his? or because i took the picture, pressed the button and captured the image in my own way, that i shouldn't worry about it and post the image in a proud way?

what do you think?

Here is the image.

Where I want to go..

So, this week i got asked to do some actor head shots for a male who is wanting to get some extras work. I called him into the studio and went to town with my lighting set up. two strips, beauty-dish and two back drop lights.

After being out of the studio for so long, i forgot how much i love working with flash and with people but how easy it is to slip up on silly mistakes. (not helped by the tech guys handing me a camera with no battery or memory card in it- make

s you look real pro in front of a sitter)

Ones everything was sorted, i got in the swing of things again and loved doing the shoot. It made me realise what i want to do with my photographic journey. portraiture! this was first brought to my attention by a talk with Chris Floyd(.com), a british born

and based portrait photographer. Looking at his portfolio, filled with famous and interesting people, it

suddenly clicked to me, that this is what i want to do!

Clearly i have still alot to learn, but i now know where i'm heading and the area in which i need to

focus on and perfect. Finally!

Here is one of the images i took in that studio session.

Oh and i think i have worked out what my signature mark is within my photography. but im not going to tell

you what it is just yet, im going to let you follow my work and try and figure it out!