Low light challenge....

I recently agreed to cover to jobs for the Plymouth Criminal and Law Society which was advertised on the college Facebook page. It was apparent they wanted a student to do this job for their own portfolio and to gain experience at no cost to the Law Society.
After contacting the Law Society I agreed to cover the events, but at a minimal cost. I fully understand the process a student photographer has to go through to 'get their work out there' however I would say I have already gone through this and am a working photographer, I also believe in these situations travel and equipment costs should be covered.

The actual event, a cheese and wine evening, was held at Plymouth's aquarium. It was previously stated there would be no flash allowed at this event as to not disturb the fish. I always feel it best to be up-front with your client from the start, as not everything is possible. They wanted both candid and staged images using the large fish tank as a backdrop, but without the use of fill-flash I knew this would be a near impossible task.

©2012 Matt Elliott (no fill-flash)

As soon as I arrived, making sure I was early, I took some test shots for exposure readings and knew it was going to be a 'trying' event. I bought with me some continuous lighting (LED) which I thought would be useful for the staged images (speeches) and to be honest would have struggled without them.

My camera bag always contains several different lenses

• Sony Carl Zeiss 24-70 2.8 
• Sony 1.4 50mm
• Sony Carl Zeiss 135mm 1.8
• Sigma 12-24 wide angle.

My preference when working on events is my 24-70 2.8. it works well in low light, however at 6400 ISO (very noisy) ƒ2.8 I was still only getting 1/15- 1/20 th which is no good for motion. I showed this to the organiser and was allowed to use flash for a few images with my back to the fish tank.

©2012 Matt Elliott (with flash)

This was short lived as one of the staff then said one of the fish was becoming agitated and asked me not to use any more flash. As the organiser wanted some group/portrait shots I said it would be best if we found a useable area with some flash. I didn't want to disrupt the guests evening and asked for several people to come and have their picture taken.

For the remainder of the evening I shot at a distance using my 135mm prime at ƒ1.8. I took a high viewpoint to take advantage of available light and knew I would be removing noise in Lightroom 4 when post-proccessing my work. 

Overall, under the circumstances, I was more than happy with what I achieved. The client received 250 fully edited images and I was able to push the boundaries of low light photography to an acceptable standard. For future work I have been asked to cover their Ball at the Cornwall Hotel in March and to my relief I can use flash as much as I want, I will also ask for an assistant to help for their own experience.

If you are ever asked to do a job like this my advice would be don't do it unless you have the right equipment and are confident in these conditions. There's no point in over-streching yourself and getting a bad name in the long-term. However there are plenty of opportunities to practice.

All images ©Matt Elliott 2013

Mr Parr

My College was recently visited by renowned, and some may say eccentric, Martin Parr. Since starting on an academic route with my photography one of the things I have learnt to do is be observant, not only in the world around me, but what others are doing and have done. I think it's fair to say Mr Parr has had a love hate relationship with his contemporaries and the photography world in general.
Henri Cartier-Bresson even said he thought 'he comes from another planet!' But in his defence Parr said 'that doesn't mean to say he dislikes my work.

Parr began work as a professional photographer and has subsequently taught photography intermittently from the mid-1970s. He was first recognised for his black-and-white photography in the north of England, Bad Weather (1982) and A Fair Day (1984), but switched to colour photography in 1984. The resulting work, Last Resort: Photographs of New Brighton, was published in 1986. Since 1994, Parr has been a member of Magnum Photos. He has had almost 50 books published, and featured in around 80 exhibitions worldwide - including an exhibition at the Barbican Arts Centre, London. In 2007, his retrospective exhibition was selected to be the main show of Month of Photography Asia in Singapore. In 2008, he was made an Honorary Doctor of Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) in recognition for his ongoing contribution to photography and to MMU's School of Art. (Wikipedia 2012)

Personally, before meeting the man, I would say I found his work comforting to the point he can show people and objects for what, and who they really are. I know of one student who made it a point of not going to his lecture as they said 'I can't stand what he does with his photography, it's just not flattering...not one bit!' 

I asked Parr a question 'do you think people's perception of the camera has changed since you started out as a photographer?' I'm not sure I got the answer I wanted, as he focused on the ability to take pictures of naked children on a beach, and how that has changed. For me personally I take that as a 'given' in 2012. Is this justified, or just a sad reflection on society?

©2012Martin Parr Magnum Images

I googled, Martin, Parr, Children, Beach and couldn't find any of his 'controversial' children images from his Last Resort body of work, so I think that should be taken into consideration. 

Over the Summer I produced a body of work to be tuned into postcards. Although these were staged I wanted to try and capture the essence of Parr's work in a contemporary style. I was lucky enough to have won the Telegraph's Big Picture competition with one of them.

This is England ©2012Matt Elliott

After the lecture what I took away with me is Parr's honest approach to his art and no nonsense approach to answering questions! I'm sure he's heard it all before and has become very think skinned.

Paulina and Heather with Martin Parr ©2012 Matt Elliott

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. 

©2012 Matt Elliott

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!

©2012 Matt Elliott

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.

Mark Ormrod©2012MattElliott

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.

Jon Eggins ©2012Matt Elliott

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).

Gaz and Paul ©2012MattElliott

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...

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.

©2012MattElliott

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.

©2012Matt Elliott

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.

©2012Matt Elliott

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.

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!

©2012Matt Elliott

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.

©2012Matt Elliott

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

1. Ensure you can fit everyone in (wide angle lens)
2. Compose your group well (can you see everyone)
3. Ensure there's good light (flash probably won't be enough outside)
4. 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! 
5. 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!

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!

Mark ©2012MattElliott

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