In the footsteps of Clarke

In fear of being labeled a Plagiarist, I have always admired the work of the late Irish Photographer Bob Carlos Clarke (24-6-1950 til 25-3-2006) and always 'fancied' having a crack at his style of photography. After all, we all aspire to other photographers skills and wish we could take images as good as them. His images of models more akin to the darker side of photography, have graced many books, magazines, news-reel's and more recently laptops. His superbly lit images evoking a sense of foreboding in the viewer. You could feel the leather adorning his beauties. You could hear the PVC 'squeak' as you turn the pages. And you felt the piercing stare of bleached eyes behind Nazi officers caps.
So swapping a bridal gown for a pair of black PVC trousers and lime green PVC corset, the shoot with our model Jenny was to be slightly different to the work I am used to. An image on the front of a past 'Professional Photography' magazine showing one of Carlos Clarke's models dressed in a PVC body suit complete with shark's fin, sparked a thought in our heads to try a shot in the studio. 

Was it meant to be the same as Carlos Clarke's? Hell no! Was it meant to be a direct copy of one of his images. Nope! So what did it achieve? Well it reminded us of how much fun photography really is and we shouldn't be afraid to try something different in ourselves. Even if it has been done before and the style belongs to someone else.

Short & Sweet!

        Don't you hate it when things come to an end? Especially after 3 short months!
I am of course referring to the Riverside Portrait Group; the first of it's type in Teesside, NE England. Through no fault of it's own it's had to finish. Stop. Cease being it. So you may ask yourself why? Simple really, the professional studio, Imaging Essentials, that played host had to close. The brain child of Jason and Chris, it was one of the better equiped studios this side of Hadrian's Wall. It was big, spacious, lavish, relaxing and made you feel at ease. The staff were on hand should you have problems with the kit and made sure the tea/coffee was on tap. What more could you ask for? Thanks to our economic climate it is one of many businesses urinating against the proverbial wind and you have to wonder when will it all stop.
       Today's image is from last night's third and final session with our fantastic and professional models Jenny and Dan. Their attire was a total contrast with Jenny being pure Gothic, wielding shotguns, knives and an axe complete with 4ft shaft and a head as big as a British Bulldogs! The axe that is!
Dan came dressed as 'Bond' -  'Dan Bond' and in his usual modeling skill played the part no end.
        So what now? Well possible venues will be looked at for their suitability and cost and who knows what may happen. What the group did show tho', was the need for a portrait group in the area. The hunger for photographers to learn and photograph people in a controlled environment. To be able to absorb the skills and maybe photograph their families and loved ones with confidence.
As for me, well I won't stop...I've only just started!

Pete Bristo Day

          It must be said working along side Pro Togs who have 'been there' got the t-shirts, the awards the video's blah blah blah, is an experience any aspiring photographer should add to their CV.
Now I have many names in my 'aspiration's ' list, too many to mention here, that I regularly look at for that little bit of inspiration and kick to keep my photography moving forward.
Enter stage right...Pete Bristo. This guy invented the 'F' word!

The day was at Wynyard Hall. That majestic of buildings nestling in the fairytale grounds on the outskirts of Teesside. Owned by Sir John Hall, a true gentleman, it has become 'the' place to be on a wedding day and no better than to be behind a camera. Pete was on his whistle stop tour of the UK dispersing his knowledge and wisdom to those in attendance.

After much information, there's only so much one can digest, we roamed the grounds finding areas to best shoot our model, who was in fact one of Pete's recent brides. We worked the light to our advantage creating mood, atmosphere, texture and form in each location. Each of us witnessing Pete's unique style and art along the way.

Would I see him again given the chance.................Damn right!

Red Nose Wedding...

All wedding couples have their own reception table theme's, from the simple Table 1, Table 2 Table 3...to Footie Teams, Countries, Star Wars characters and the Seven Dwarfs and believe me I've seen my fair share. The Dwarfs must surely being the funniest or cutest (depending on your outlook) and from what I can gather, suggested by the Groom and accepted with open arms by the Bride who proudly told everyone it was her 'new' husbands suggestion! Guess who Snow White was?

Bring on Red Nose Day. A worthy charity many would believe and today's newly-weds took hold of the opportunity with both hands producing a bag of red-noses for all attending the day. Now I'm not a big fan of doing spot colour and thankfully the trend has moved on from earlier years. Although the odd one in the right place can and does look effective. That said, this was one of those occasions where I couldn't help myself.
Finally the strangest thing has happened whilst scribbling this snippet. Just starting to play on the radio is that infectious song from Monty Python and the life of Brian 'Always look on the bright side of Life'.
Need to buy a lottery ticket...

Light

Light!

As photographers we need it. It’s what we rely on to illuminate the images we produce. As wedding photographers, noticing what the play of light has on your subject can add impact to what could be just another album image.

It’s while taking a five minute break at a wedding in Lumley Castle that I noticed the light streaming through this doorway. I honed in on the way it ‘wrapped’ itself round everyone who passed through and the bride was no exception. Stretching her arms up the frame gathered more of the suns rays revealing texture and shape allowing her dress to glow.

Did she like it? The 30x40 inch canvas that hangs on her wall may give a clue to the answer to the question!

Model Shoot at the Sage

Some recent shots of a shoot at the Sage Building in Gateshead. A tremendous venue itself, it's a centre for musical education, performance and conferences. Not to mention the odd photo shoot! Nestling on the bank of the River Tyne, the glass domed structure over-looks the river where it's flanked either side by Tyne Bridge and the Millennium Bridge.

Images taken on the day were a mixture of natural light and off-camera flash. Permission from the Sage was sought before the shoot so a big thanks to them. Our model was very confident given the location and was quick to 'strike a pose' without fear.

These shots were taken on the 1st floor balcony on the east side of the building. The quality of light was soft and even allowing a range of movement without the need to alter exposure.