Tag: EF70-200f2.8L IS USM

At the end of the runway

 Gavin   Available Light, Event, Fashion, Low Light, Techniques, Tips

Runway Photography…The Best Seat in the House

Fashion Show, Runway & Catwalk Photography

As we’re only a few days away from one of the biggest events on the fashion calendar, London Fashion Week, I thought I’d share some of my experiences to give you a feel as to what it’s like to be stood at the end of the runway during London Fashion Week. It truly is the best seat in the house and an experience not to be missed.

Shooting a fashion show is both as exhilarating as it is challenging, and as rewarding as it is pressured. Fashion show photography is without a doubt one of the most technical and demanding types of shoot I do. Any fool can stand at the end of the runway and snap away. It’s not difficult. To do it properly though takes a lot of preparation and hard work. There is only one chance to get it right and if you’re shooting for the designer the pressure is immense. The designer needs to see *everything* front, back, sides, full length, 1/2 length, 1/4 length, detail, detail, detail. Continue reading At the end of the runway »

First Attempt at TtV…

 Gavin   Techniques

TtV in the Studio using Canon 5DmkII and Delmonta TLR

I was in the studio a few days ago for a vintage style pinup shoot with the theme “Military Cheesecake” and thought this would be an excellent opportunity to try my hand at TtV or “Through the Viewfinder” photography.

Simply put, this technique involves using the viewfinder optics from a vintage TLR (Twin Lens Reflex) camera with a modern, digital SLR. In theory one simply points the lens of the DSLR at the viewfinder of the TLR and takes a picture of the image on the ground glass.

In practice there is a lot more to it… Continue reading First Attempt at TtV… »

Creative Vision…

 Gavin   Strobist, Tips
Lanyon Quoit

Last weekend I followed David duChémin’s seminar on creative vision over at Creative Live. It was a fantastic session and really got me to thinking about the way I create my images. On reflection I have been doing exactly what David was encouraging albeit unaware. Case in point would be my recent visit to Lanyon Quoit just outside Penzance.

I went there at probably the worst time of the day. There was hardly a cloud in the sky. The light was very bright and very hard. The scene was one of extreme contrast with hot, bright highlights and dark, black shadows. Even the 14 bits of colour depth of the 5D mk II were going to struggle to capture that amount of dynamic range.

The image below will give you an idea of just how bad the light was. In hindsight I could have tried making an HDR image but that thought never crossed my mind. Besides I’d neglected to bring my tripod.

Original scene

So, how did I get from the original scene to the image I’ve shoen at the top of this post? Continue reading Creative Vision… »

On the grid… Part 2

 Gavin   Available Light, Equipment, Strobist, Techniques
1/4 Speed Grid

A few days ago I mentioned that I’d bought a couple of Honl Speedgrids to attach to my Speedlites. The original post can be found here.

I had the opportunity and the pleasure of using one of these, the 1/4 Speedgrid, during my Notting Hill Beauty Shoot and here is an example of what one can achieve with these magic little devices.

As a comparison, I’ve also included a version that I lit with just available light. Both images were shot in the same room with the model standing in exactly the same place. Continue reading On the grid… Part 2 »

The Castle Bride

 Gavin   Bridal, Photoshoot, Strobist

A couple of weeks ago I had the privilege or working on a bridal portfolio shoot with a fantastic model, Helene, and her fiancée, Jo. We also had a brilliant and very talented MUA, Louise of Faceinate, on hand too.

We were to be shooting at Guildford Castle, early on a Saturday morning and although is was bitterly cold, thankfully we weren’t to be plagued by the rain or snow of recent weeks. It was very overcast too with nothing but cloud cover overhead making for very soft, diffused light and although it was quite a dull day there was still plenty of light to work with. This when combined with a typical grey January day meant for a reduced colour pallette: mainly very muted greys, greens and browns to work with. Continue reading The Castle Bride »