Me...

Monday, 1 October 2012

Summer work...

Summer shooting...

I think it's fair to say looking back over the long Summer 'break' I've been kept busy with a wide range of work, personal or otherwise. Although I'm becoming more selective in what I do I am attempting to narrow down my chosen career path in photography, which is proving to be very difficult...

Currently I am now working with Foto+, a Plymouth based collective run by two of my college tutors Matt and Jon. They were asked to cover the Plymouth Raiders Basketball team's season which is currently being run at Plymouth Pavillions (home games). As I haven't covered much in the way of sporting events in the past I jumped, no pun intended, at the chance to support Foto+ in their new venture. This also gave me the chance to work alongside to established photographers from whom I'm sure I can learn a lot.

So far I have covered three games, two friendlies and one league. In the past my sport has always been football and I only played basketball at school a long tome ago, so for the first two games I made sure I understood the whole ethos of the game and rituals involved. The hardest part I have found so far is the technical limitations I faced. The light is not photographer friendly and I would say you have to shoot at around 1/500th to freeze the movement. Even using Carl Zeiss glass at a 1.8 aperture I am finding I have to resort to anything around 2000 I.S.O to get a decent exposure. This sort of photography I would recommend to any photographer as a training ground in 'thinking on your feet'.

The rewards come when you capture 'that' sharp and dramatic image...and it's all good fun!

Wednesday, 18 July 2012

Been a while.

It's been a while sine my last update and to be honest I've been really bust with the practical side of life, rather than just writing about it, but what have I been up to since my last post...

After mine and Al's exhibition, which I would say was a big success, I am pleased to say I sold a fair few of my images which isn't what it was 'all' about. I get very tired of people talking about art in pounds and pence all the time, I think when you get to a decent standard and are only in it for the money where does your passion really lie? Yes we all need to make a living but I didn't start producing images because I wanted to chase the money, and trust me if I did I would be living on the street right now.
After my appearance on Show me the Monet people said how I under-valued my work. I'm not a well established artist, I'm someone who's worked and is working very hard at trying to get there, this I'm glad to say came across on the show. Although I didn't make it through to the exhibition this was down to my choice of image not having enough emotional content, however well received. I was slightly disappointed with the edit as I got some really positive feedback which wasn't shown but all in all a positive experience and I would recommend anyone who is passionate about there art to go for it!
I have recently entered two images for the Taylor Wessing portrait prize and worked fairly hard to produce two contemporary images, Jon Eggins (farmer) and Mark Ormrod (ex-Marine). Looking back at past entrants this is an extremely tough competition and your have no room for error.

Although I didn't get the light I wanted while working with Mark and wanted a different backdrop, I used several symbolic markers and didn't want the viewer to concentrate on Marks disability but rather as inspiration and determination. Royal Marines spend a lot of their time on Dartmoor training and generally getting wet and cold, I should know, this, I hope, gives the image a great sense depth...but the rest I guess is down to the panel of judges.

With Jon I used a ranger lighting kit, one key light with a soft box and one without at a ratio of 1:2. I also metered for the highlights as at the time the backdrop was lighter than I wanted. This is one of my favourite images and I guess if you're not into photography you would just say it's a picture of a farmer. I planed for Jon to fit in with his background and it was just a case of saying 'don't smile please'. If I don't get anywhere with these images I would just love some professional critique.

As per normal I've been carrying on with my portrait work and weddings, I still don't consider this to be 'work' as I'm enjoying it way too much! On Saturday I spent 14 hours pretty much shooting, apart from from stopping to have the odd pint or two and eating, I didn't ever question my passion for what I was doing. I have to give a mention to the people involved, who gave me so much praise for my hard work...thanks it meant a lot (you also have 555 images to see after your honeymoon).

Now for the Summer I have a lot of shoots planned, some work, some for Uni and more importantly some just because I love this art...

Thursday, 10 May 2012

Where I stand...

Watch this first...

''The most important thing you can do is a lot of work, a huge volume of work''

When I first picked up a DSLR I had no idea about how hooked I would get. Yes I've used cameras before; for snapshots, sometimes disposable ones when out on the drink and sometimes pocket cameras when I've been on holiday...but there was something about the possibilities of using a DSLR and the control it gives.

I think it's fair to say I'm obsessed with the art, I could never really paint or draw, so always found it hard to express myself artistically. I seem to remember an art teacher at my secondary school even ripping-up a piece of my work and throwing it out the window...maybe I should have done the same to him.
If I'm honest there isn't a day that goes by when I don't capture one thing or another which for me is a big part of the learning process! No-one else is going to truly teach you how to use a camera, yes they may help you with settings and talk about formal elements but it's really up to you to get out there and shoot.
I'm happy to say I honestly know what all the functions are on my camera, and when is best to use them! I'm not saying I've mastered it, far from it, but it's second nature now and gives me a lot more scope in the field I want to work in.

I seem to remember a friend of mine saying there are three types of photographer, ones who shoot from the head, the heart or the sleeve. For me I would say it's from the heart due to the pleasure I get from it, the day it bores me or I lose my passion for it I'll give-up, but I can't see that happening anytime soon.
I'm always flattered when people comment or give me positive feedback on my work, I don't mind constructive negative feedback too; it only aids in the long-term. I'm also happy to help others, which I do quite a lot!
Looking back at where I have come from, with regards to my early images, it sometimes makes me cringe! I won't delete them as I find it really helpful to see how far I have come and how far I have got to go...a long way. One thing I will say is if you truly love photography and are passionate about it...it will show and you will learn fast! You should always stick to your guns with your work too, yes take advice, but if you've made something and are happy with it then say so! I've seen the work of some professionals and coughed user my breath ''what the hell is that!'' I won't go into the question of 'what is art?'' that's way too long of a debate, for me I know what I like and I will say so. I don't look at someones work now and 'rubbish' it unless I've at least tried to put it into context, you should at least try and understand what the person is trying to express, even if it is a bit confusing.

Long-term I'm still not sure where all this is leading too. I have a family, two young children and commitments, sometimes I look around at some of the younger students I'm working with and have a touch of envy. For some, they have the world at their feet and should grab any opportunity they get with both hands. I spent my early working years travelling the world in a work capacity, looking back at the places I have seen and things I've done, I would have loved to have had a camera strapped around my neck alongside my rifle. All I can do is stay positive, tick boxes that need ticking and not lose sight of why I am doing this in the first place...

*The images above I took recently while walking around the Hoe with a friend. To be honest I've 'done' Plymouth to the death now and find very little in the way of inspiration now, especially when I see the work of others from around the world. But the fact is, always have your camera to hand! I'm really happy with the images above, and it's quite rare for me to like my own work.

Tuesday, 8 May 2012

A busy day....

With the advent of digital it's easier to shoot all day long without giving it a second thought, this may be the case in certain circumstances but that depends on what you are working on. When I shot my first wedding I came away with over 2000 images from an eleven hour shoot, looking back I would say this was down to over-excitment and not wanting to miss anything!
My most recent wedding was at the Livermead hotel in Torquay with Penny and James, who I am now very friendly with. Penny saw some of my work on Facebook and contacted me through there. I know there are some out there who believe Facebook is the work of the Devil, for me I have a personal page and a photography page, which I treat professionally!
Coming away from Penny's wedding I had shot 700 images from 11 am to 9 pm, looking through I have a fair amount of doubles which I always check through on full screen, you could have 'the' image only to find the subject has their eyes shut!

Sadly the weather on the day was what I would call 'squint' conditions with very little contrast! I never like bright cloudless days with harsh light or overcast 'bleached-out' skies, but you can't control the weather and have to work with what you have!

For this shoot I took a friend along who wanted to get an idea of what the wedding game was all about. As a second photographer wasn't added into the price plan Penny and James were more than happy to have a second pair of eyes. Looking through Paulina's work before the wedding I felt she had a good eye for the small details and told her to work to this. She was a bit nervous at first, but I told her to relax and have fun. I'm not sure after the day was out she had caught the wedding 'bug' but you never know.

What I found enjoyable when working with Penny is she knew what she wanted from day one. I had already travelled to Torquay previously to plan for the shoot and study the location. Sadly on the day we couldn't use the small beached area for a backdrop so I made use of the steps leading to it for their posed shots, with a muted tone to give a classic look.
For some the traditional group shots are not wanted, which I'm sure will make some photographers smile (crowd control). However, personally I don't mind being asked to do large group shots, as long as you

Ensure you can fit everyone in (wide angle lens)
Compose your group well (can you see everyone)
Ensure there's good light (flash probably won't be enough outside)
Eyes, there's nothing worse than having four or five people with their eyes shut or looking the wrong way! I deal with this by telling everyone to shut their eyes and open on a count to three!
For the person who really would rather look at their feet be polite and ask them to look at you, it's their friend or family members images they are spoiling.

I'm still learning about wedding work, although I like to feel I have served my apprenticeship, there's always something you can improve! I never suffer from nerves anymore but what I enjoy is the fact no two weddings are the same...and if you get it right the couple will remember you forever!

Wednesday, 2 May 2012

Take the stage....

Take the stage with David Beckham

I don't normally enter 'mass' internet photo competitions with a generic theme, however this one caught my eye! At present I am working with Mark Ormrod who, while serving with the Marines in Afghanistan, lost both legs and an arm after stepping on an I.E.D.
One of my ambitions as a professional photographer is to have an image exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London. This is probably the only gallery I always visit and where I have seen some of the most inspirational work!
Every year they run the Taylor Wessing portrait competition, which I intend to be a part of this year...with the right image of course!

You see, share or like the image here... VOTE.

Thursday, 19 April 2012

Time for...

Shoot with Amy and Katrina

16/04/2012

Had the pleasure of working with Amy and Kat, two aspiring models the other afternoon and the chosen location being Plymbridge woods. I had spoken with Katrina on several occasions in the past about working together, but as with everything these days... time is always an issue.
My original intention was to do a submerged/semi-submergered shoot in the water to capture an abstract type image, however the water down there isn't the warmest at the best of times, I also need a new polariser filter for my 77mm lens to achieve what I want.

I didn't want this to be a 'fashion' shoot and there was no make-up or stylists on location, just a few dog walkers who were intrigued as to what we were doing.
So far, where lighting is concerned, I have normally used a two light system off camera, although I do have the resources to use three if I want to add a hair light for example. Generally though I have found in the past using one flash enough to fill in the subject against background light. Problem's I have found with using speed lights are the batteries don't last long, they can overheat and take time to re-charge, which means you can easily miss that 'one shot'.
When I first started shooting models I was always in a rush, not wanting to keep people waiting around, however there's no point setting-up a shoot to do make a mess of it!
Amy and Katrina were very professional and needed little or no direction, however if you're after a certain pose or look a good model is more than happy to oblige, it's not always about them wanting pretty pictures!

©Matt Elliott 2012

One thing I did try during this shoot was a multi-image blend which is something I am experimenting with at the moment. I asked the girl's to stand motionless while I shot 5 high speed images or varied exposure. I asked them to cover their faces as I knew the end result wouldn't be 'pretty', although after seeing the final result Amy wants to know what it would have looked like...next time.

One personal concern I always have during editing at the moment is 'will they like the final result, or hate them?'. I am not a fashion photographer, and in no way consider myself to be good enough to be one, but I do get asked a lot by, it has to be said, girls to have a shoot with me which I take as a compliment.

I have found the more I shoot these days, the less I shoot. Digital is a wonderful invention, however it's not so wonderful when you have to trawl though thousands of images for little or no return...get it right in camera. I tend to crop very little too and when I do I normally keep to a 3:2 ratio for ease of access. Looking back at when I started the crop tool was never constrained, a bit like my eye, now I have made vast improvements in this area, so I must be improving and will keep doing so.

Even if this area of work doesn't interest you the best advice I can give is to do it anyway, what have you got to lose. It's all photography and you'll learn loads! As you are working with people lighting is key, and that, at the end of the day is what photography is all about!

Thanks again Kat and Amy, no doubt we'll work together again and I'm looking forward to the water shoot...next time!

Monday, 16 April 2012

Planning for the Pipe.

I recently went to the Pipe Gallery, New Street Plymouth, to watch a couple of local bands. I had only heard about the place from a friend, who said it was available for public hire; and as soon as I walked into the place I thought it would be constructive to hold a small exhibition there.
It's not one of the easiest places to find, I've walked past it on several occasions and not even noticed it was there. I have also used New Street as a location for several shoots, being a part of what is left of 'old' Plymouth. The lighting at the right time of day is ideal for control and furthermore the texture of the brickwork and cobble stones can really add texture to your backdrop...well worth investigating!

Although only in the early stages of planning I have decided to hold the exhibition there with a friend of mine, Al Smith, who is a keen photographer with a good eye for the art. Al has recently returned to his home city after spending several years teaching in Japan, but will probably be returning there to further develop his own unique style of photography.

With regards to the planning so far, we thought it best if we held an open night with drink, nibbles and music (we already have a playlist thanks to a few bottles of red the other evening). As the Pipe is such a unique space and there are two of us, we will each exhibit our work using one side each, there will also be projected images throughout the night followed by a short stills film which I am working on now.

The lighting may cause concern so this may be supplied by us to make sure the images are done justice.

When we took a look on Saturday to get a feel for the place local artist Katie Shaw was holding a week long exhibition of her paintings. Katie has just recently finished her degree at Plymouth University, but will be shortly moving to London to find fame and fortune. I also asked her, while viewing her work, if she wanted a picture of her for future reference, good luck Katie, nice to have met you.

What I haven't decided so far is what exactly I will exhibit. A body of work with a theme or an example of my previous images. One idea which has already come to mind is to use only New Street as a backdrop! Although images will all be available for purchase, that's not what it's about for Al and I; however putting a contemporary twist on a street local people may take for granted, may evoke some emotional response! I have already had this in the past several times with my work and it's a great sense of achievement!

Al and I are not expecting a huge crowd to attend our first open night, but we will be doing our best to let close friends and the art community know to make it an enjoyable evening. Obviously the work is important to both of us, but this is being staged as a social event too...

Watch this space, however at present it is more than likely to be Early June '12!