I Need... #03 #GOYA - Laura...

Some weeks ago I put a post up on social media stating that I am looking for subjects to photograph. I go in to detail about the I Need blog post but to summarise I need to Get Off My Ass and make portraits. #GOYA  - This is shoot number 3. 

Laura was sent a link to my blog post by a local photographer and friend, thank you Terry.

For this shoot we stuck to the studio. The next ones I am going to push for location to break away from where I am comfortable. 

Laura was great to work with, she turned up in a great dress and corset outfit with perfect makeup. My job editing was easy. 

The hard part was selecting a final image, I went back and forth between 3 frames and finally settled with the frame above. I love the little details in the edge of the mirror and the stolen moment feeling,  but I do feel it could be pushed further.  Thank fully the mirror is still at the studio (sorry Sis). 

I have no idea where these shoots are going to go or what to do with the images from them, some may end up in the book others will get buried.  The long and short of it is I need to keep working. #GOYA

Next up are location images. Your home, shed, car, place of work, that dump behind your house.. anywhere but the studio because I am getting far too dam comfortable in that space.

If you want to sign up to this madness you can do so on this blog post. 

Thank You
Rick
#GOYA #GOWORK

I Need...

A few weeks back I posted the above image on Instagram and other social media channels and had a great response, thank you. Also I want to shout out to Zack Arias who give me a virtual kick up the ass when he posted something along these lines himself. #GOYA

Originally I put a pretty short timescale on this but now want open this up to run a little longer to help out where schedules clash.

Let me explain what this is all about. 

I love photography and I love photographing people but at times it can be all too easy to get bogged down with the admin, the thinking about photography, the emails and social media, helping others (which I also enjoy).  You forget about you. 

Please don't misunderstand I am grateful for my clients who I photograph, provide training for and run events for but.... 

I need to spend some time on me. Me Me Me.

I need to get people in front of my lens and make portraits/shoot new images. 

I need to bury all this crap that is building in my head and get to work running the camera and lights. Seriously my focus is like that of a Canon 5D2 at the moment. 

I need to stop thinking about photography and get to creating photography. 

I need to stop looking at that effin Canon 5Ds / 5D Mark IV because that will not help. 

I need to shoot, grow as a photographer...hell as a person. 

I need to do this before I lose my shit.

Easy.. Easy..     Stay focused.

To do this I need to find people to photograph and so I ask you fine folk,  who want's to let me shoot a portrait of them and help me out?

I am set to shoot either at my studio in Stockport or on location somewhere (your home, work, shed, man cave, girl cave, car.. where ever).. have wheels can travel. 

The shoots aren't going to be any huge planned productions or ideas but more a simple portrait session where I will work to get to know you and make some cool (hopefully) portraits/environmental portraits of you.  They will possibly include...
 

• Head Shots.
• Full Length, Half or 3/4 Length Portraits. 
• Environmental Portraits. - Really want to shoot some of these
• Seated Portraits. 
• A portrait of you doing a hand stand.
• A Portrait of you lying down ( honestly not at dodgy as it sounds )
• Me just trying to find good light, tell a story, show the person in the portrait. 

It depends on the subject, what we come up with and where we shoot. 

The images will end up on my blog, social media, some will get buried in Lightroom never to be seen and I hope some will make it in to the portfolio folder.  

You will also be given a handful of select images from the shoot, please don't ask me how many images because I have no idea.  I will also provide you 1 print of your favourite image upto 18x12 in size as a thank you.  

I don't know how long this will run for, let's see where it goes.  When the doors are closed I will remover the form below and update the top of this post. 

Now I don't care if you are shy, confident, young, old, large or small. Any and all welcome. 

I hope to clear this noise in my head, meet some cool new people, may be make a friend or two and shoot some good portraits.  Here goes... it's time to Get Off My Ass and get to effin work. 

If that has not sent you running for the hills then please can you fill the form below in.

Shoot Sign Up Form

This form is to help me get the info needed to arrange a shoot with out the noise and mess that can be social media. Thank you.

Thank You

Rick
 

Rob James Seymour + Testing new­-ish gear.

Back in March I managed to finally complete my stills bag by adding a second Canon 5D Mark II and a Canon EF 70­-200 F2.8L IS (Version 1 ) which means I am good gear wise for a while. The only exception would be a more powerful location light which in reality will only happen if work that requires that power becomes a regular thing, that subject matter is a whole other blog post. 

One thing I always do with any new gear after sitting and looking at it for a few minuets...  is test it. 

The lenses and camera bodies go through Auto Focus calibration using Focal software and the gear gets a clean/general test to make sure everything works as it should, the firmware also  gets update if required. FYI it was required for the newly acquired 5D2 because it was still on the original firmware. 

It's at this point I notice any differences between the cameras, for example the LCD on the backup 5D2 is brighter than my main body at the same brightness setting, this stuff gets filled away in my brain. 

I also spend some time making sure the camera bodies are set-up the same from the custom shooting modes (C1,C1,C3) to the custom functions, this is so I can just grab the backup as a second body or a ... (I hope this never happens) backup after failure and the cameras feel and act the same. Same body,same sensor, same everything... ok apart from the LCD brightness but I can live with that.

Once all this is done it's time to use it on a job so I can run the new gear in the field and review the files later in post. That said below are some images from the shoot with Rob.

We started in the studio whilst waiting for the weather to clear and then headed out to see what photographs I could find nearby the studio.
 

Thankfully I can report the backup camera (Now called 5D2 B) and the 70-200 work great, the only thing I noticed with the lens is that it does not handle a white seamless set as well as the Canon 24-105 F4L but it is plenty sharp enough and I like the way it renders skin and colour which is partly down to that sensor in the 5D2. I love that sensor. 

After shooting a lot of studio work lately I enjoyed getting out on location even if it was close by to the studio. Rob was great to work with, the gear all worked... it was a good day.

I understand that a lot of this might seem somewhat anal but, I have a job to do on set and I also need to make sure my gear is good to go. As a working photographer I need to know it inside out, we all should know our gear. We owe this to our clients, the craft and ourselves.

Thank you for reading.
Rick

[ Book A Shoot Here ]
[ Sign Up To My Newsletter ]

Headshots

How important are head-shots today?

I would say very important. 

We are living in changing times where employers will look you up on-line instead of just simply reading that CV you posted. The world is a visual place and we all have to be ready for it. 

A good head shot is as important to the average person than it is to an actor and can set you apart from the rest. You will find that headshots are required today for may uses/reasons. 

Social Media Profiles.
CV's
Portfolio for performers. 
Corporate & Business. 
Promotional Material.

Once you have selected your headshot photographer you will need to be prepared for the session.  Below are a few tips for you to help. 
 

1. Get a good night's sleep before as it will help your skin and eyes to look their best. 
 

2. Avoid the cocktails the night before and stay hydrated.
 

3. Decide on the look you want and discuss this with the photographer. A headshot taken using natural light will look different than one lit with flash in a studio, what does the final use of your headshot dictate? Is it for a corporate job or a model/acting portfolio? They both have different requirements and expectations and sometimes different regions required a different approach.  

Natural Light Only.
White background or other clean plain background. 
Colour.
Black & White.
Portrait Orientation or Landscape Orientation images. 

4. If you are an actor check with your casting agent on what type of headshots they are looking for in your region or city. 

5. Take appropriate clothing and clothing that you are comfortable in.

6. Take some music along or ask if they can play your choice of music during the session. This can help the session feel more relaxed and help keep energy levels up. 

7. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you are unsure about anything, the photographer will be able to advise you. 

8. I also recommend talking to the photographer if you plan to print the headshots for a book or carry round, this is so they can shoot accordingly so the final images match the print output format/size.

As a photographer myself I understand it can be daunting in-front of a camera so I take time to talk to clients before we start the session, this conversation continues throughout to not only relax you but to get to know you and get the best headshot we can.  

Remember a great headshot can help elevate your profile on-line and also in business today. 

Thank you for reading.
Rick

[ Book A Shoot Here ]
[ Sign Up To My Newsletter ]