I’ve photographed Diane several times over the last 3 years while she was studying at Manchester University. This weekend was our last shoot though as she’s now finished her degree and is off back to Hong Kong before continuing her studies in Shanghai. Most of the images are taken in natural light as it was a lovely day.
We briefly went to the lift though and managed to get a few shots there too
As I’ve mentioned previously I’m in the process of moving out of Islington Mill, the new studio I’m using is in Stockport and called Hallam Mill, click here for a handy link to Google Streetview. It’s a great space of just under 4000 sq ft. It’s wonderful to shoot there using natural light, especially towards dusk and so far I’ve done a client shoot and taken a workshop there. This week though I wanted to do a fun shoot with my friend Ella who was just about to pick up here degree results (yay for a 2:1!) and head back to Essex. As it was an evening on a ‘school night’ we had a limited amount of time so I decided to do just 2 main sets, one using natural light and the other a darker, low key theme. It’s the later that’s the subject of this post and Ella brought with her a fabulous catwoman outfit which was perfect for the theme.
Technically shooting black against black can be a little tricky so I used plenty of rim lighting to separate her from the background by varying degrees. In the first shot this was done very subtly to try and emphasise the cat like pose and the other images gradually separate her further from the background. Rim lighting is one of the techniques I teach on my strobist lighting workshop, click the menu above to read more about these workshops. Hope you like the images and please feel free to leave comments below.
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We’ve all seen them in supermarkets, buy one tin of soup get another free, well now I’m bringing something similar to my portfolio work. If you can find yourself a mate who also wants images taken at the same time then I’m offering £60 off each of your full shoot costs (you pay £100 instead of £160 each for the shoot). Even better, if you commit to buy more than 10 images from the shoot then you can have them at half price (£10 each instead of £20). This offer will last all summer. How long will summer last? I’ve no idea
Please drop me a message using the contact link above if you would like any further information.
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A couple of really interesting shoots so far this year, as well as a recent training event, have made me think a little more about what I am trying to do with my photography. In essence it’s about giving clients the very best images, but we need to look in more detail than that because I’m not the right photographer for some projects and equally I’m only likely to appeal to a select set of clients.
Who am I trying to appeal to? Essentially anyone who wants unique images in the areas I specialise in. I teach other photographers how to light creatively and that’s one of the qualities I bring to a shoot. I’ve also a track record of providing dancers, singers and actors with images that really stand out from the norm as well as the required industry headshots. Very few of the people in my portfolio would describe themselves as professional models, most come from a dance or theatre background and many have no inclination to model professionally at all.
Clients then are likely to be finishing theatre school / dance training, wanting a boost to their professional portfolio or recording a significant moment in their lives. Two of the best shoots I’ve done recently were with guys who had got themselves in to great shape and wanted some images to record that fact, one for a job application and the other simply because they could.
Who isn’t likely to want me to photograph them? I make no secret of the fact I’ve no interest in wedding photography, there are people far better qualified who will do it better than I. For a generic family photograph a high street photographer is generally a better option. Most importantly though, I’m not seeking out the bargain basement end of the market either. I know some photographers will, for a pittance, give you a CD of all images from the shoot for you to do with what you will. As the saying goes though ‘buy cheap, pay twice’. My photography is about giving you something that most other photographers can’t, be it lighting, creativity, image quality or simply a unique space to shoot in (the studio I use is an old warehouse of some 4000 sq ft). Having said that I understand that in the current climate not everyone has the resources to devote to a shoot of their own, in the next post therefore I’m launching a summer offer to give you a significant discount if you bring along a friend.
In conclusion then I hope you, as potential clients, see from my portfolio whether I can help you get the imagery you want. You certainly don’t need to have aspirations toward the world of modelling, simply a desire to have a record of something unique. Please get in touch if you think I can help.
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Last Sunday was my first workshop in my new studio location in Stockport. It was quite a change from my old space which is a 6 sq m studio to nearly 400 sq m with huge windows and the potential for great natural light, weather permitting of course.
This workshop was the best attended to date with 9 enthusiastic photographers and 2 lovely models. After introductions we worked our way through various headshot lighting set-ups from purely natural light to 4 speedlights plus natural light. We were able to see how the rim, key and fill lighting all affected the results as I was shooting tethered to a computer. Here are a couple of samples, firstly using 2 speedlights and a natural rim light.
Secondly a cool look for all 5 lights (4 speedlights and daylight)
We moved on from here to apply the lighting to full length fashion images and then, after lunch, it was the students turn to apply what we learnt in the morning. By working in 2 groups everyone had a chance to work with both models and get some individual images for their portfolios.
It was a fun day for me and hopefully everyone who came and I look forward to the next one. Please let me know if you’re interested in attending and also any themes for future workshops. In addition I’m also offering individual tuition for only £40 an hour including studio and flash equipment. Simple bring your camera and a model! Please contact me for further information.
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by paulcoxphotography
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