Through out my time taking pictures I have met a number of people who have inspired me, taught me and pointed out my mistakes. Hopefully as time has progressed I am making less mistakes but I do believe that once you have mastered every single aspect of a skill it is time to find another. Surely the pleasure comes from the challenge, the determination to produce something ever better?
I am sure that if you ask any great artist about their work, they would point out the flaws, how they would just change that little bit there…
So I thank the models that I have worked with, some would say that models are the blank canvases that we work with but in reality a good model brings so much more, they will interpret what you say, add little nuances and interest.
The photographers that I have had the pleasure of working alongside (and whose techniques I have unashamedly stolen!), the studio’s that have allowed me to use there facilities, the designers who have loaned clothing, the venues who have put on shows or loaned rooms, and of course the make up artists who with a few pots of powder create flawless faces or amazing fantasy creatures.
Studio Shenanigans
Once again I borrowed the lovely Charli Lambert for a quick shoot in Andy Baines studio B72 Imaging we were joined by Dave Piper and had a play with Andys new striplight and Dave bought along the Nikon D3s and the Sigma D15 for us to have a look at. Both very different camera’s (none of the pictures below are taken with them). The Sigma produces lovely sharp images and is an excellent studio camera returning crisp realistic tones and if you have not already bought into one of the existing brands is well worth a look. Remember the previous comments I made on the Sigma 50mm?
I shot a few images of Charli with the Striplight either camera left or boom mounted above, with the light feathered to accentuate her features. The striplight was from Bessel and is a cracking piece of kit and very affordable – a lot cheaper than the OEM equipment and of a similar quality. One word of caution and this applies to all makes, the striplight is a large softbox, and boom mounted it does sway a fair bit – make sure you counterbalance it (and remember to attach the power lead before putting it in position!)
