'Hi, I live next door.'
Three weeks after I bought this house my neighbour came round to welcome me. In reality, this is a selfie taken in my shed pre shave day (once a week). My wife ...
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Three weeks after I bought this house my neighbour came round to welcome me. In reality, this is a selfie taken in my shed pre shave day (once a week). My wife threatened me with a haircut yesterday so I've hidden her scissors under the gravel in our fishtank. Do you wonder what I've hidden under the patio?
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Dec, 2015Views
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Awards
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Peer Award
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
I my shed, now converted to a photo-shed with my selfies and best photos on display. But portraits can be taken anywhere these days, then cut out and pasted into the most outrageous backgrouns. BUT, the lighting has to match up with the new scene.Time
From midnight to early morning, or midday to sunset, my portrait technique can be at any time. I love the challenge of creating a striking portrait no matter what time of day or weather. Having used flash as a supplement light source for the last forty something years I am now beginning to use a much higher ISO and shooting into the sun. However, the purchase of a Miranda 630CD flashgun for 50 pence off Ebay is seeing my style of lighting change yet again.Lighting
Black backdrop plus two speedlights at the sides, a Canon 580EXll and a Yongnuo YN560. Adding a third Yongnuo through a brolly from the front although often I bounce it off a white wall at the far end. I use a Canon 70D with flip out screen so I can see the effect imediately and adjust the lighting to suit. Very rarely do I change any camera settings - far easier to move a light a couple feet or alter the power.Equipment
I love my Canon 70D to the extent that of the worst happened I'd get another 70D without question! I prefer the Sigma 10-20mm zoom to give my portraits a sense of closeness, involvement, etc. I'm finding the wide angle is becoming my go to lens for lots of portrait shoots now. Creating exciting selfies is about the only time I use a tripod apart from slow motion shots and landscapes. I started using off camera flash back in the 1970's and have over ten flashguns plus tree sets of studio lights, one of which is from my first studio shoot in 1974 and I still use it occasionally because of its low power. A DIY remote cable for the shutter is made up from an old slide projector control handset along with a six foot wire with a tiny jack plug on the end. A quick tickle to focus and a really firm press is required to fire the shutter.Inspiration
Too many sources of inspiration to mention have effected my choices over the years, but I will say that inspiration come from outside. No good sitting in a dark room trying to come up with a new angle I look at other people's work and an idea will pop into my mind and merge with another existing idea, then a few images later a whole new aspect will crop up and that first idea is just a misty memory with new angles, subjects and the way they are lit rising to the surface continually. I work with my hands and face new challenges every day so photo ideas emerge from that aspect too. It's been the most woderful hobby since 1964 and I have never felt the need or desire to be a pro. I'm toally happy just as I am and loving every minute of making and creating unusual images.Editing
Lightroom is my first port of call for editing. I adjust the siders in the basic panel for a few minutes, then go to the HSL and try the image as a black and white. If it looks worse I can turn it back to colour and I've lost nothing. Other times I'll keep it as colour all the way through before clicking 'Create Virual Copy' and turning that one black and white. In the sharpening panel I use the masking slider so i don't sharpen any noise and then use the Luminance slider while viewing at maximum size. I only ever shoot in Jpeg and find this combination allows me to print at A3 easily. I once made a mistake while clicking 'Save As' and the size came out at 9 metres high by 13 metres long and very little size of grain / noise. Glad I wasn't using RAW on that occasion, it would have froze the computer!In my camera bag
I never go photographing without my Canon 70D. Okay so it's a crop sensor so what? I did use a Canon 5D and then progressed to a 5Dmkll and found my images took a huge leap forward. Eventually the 5Dmkll needed to go off for a service and I started looking at what else was on the market. After much research I chose the 70D as a possible replacement and have never looked back. Even though I've dropped from a full frame to a cropped sensor I have never regretted the decision. Two flashes, a Canon 580EXll and a Yongnuo 560, a set of three radio triggers, a radio remote shutter and the long DIY wire, an LED torch police issue, a shower cap for when it's raining, a few zip top plastic bags for the flashes with triggers attached, a set of Roscoe coloured gels, spare batteries, water bottle along with a bunch of tablets just in case (I am 70 now). Also a roll of adhesive tape and a walking stick for when the going gets tough.Feedback
I have tried the 70D wi-fi but it's too much aggro. The alternative is Lightroom on a laptop but that also is so long winded setting up. Simple is much more enjoyable and that is most important with my photography - enjoyment. Grow you hair longer and rough it up, lean towards the camera to get rid of double chins, exaggerate your hand position and poses, grow some stubble, get a big knife, a shiny revolver, a big spanner, a pair of aviator sunglasses and a selection of unusual hats. Take at least fifty to a hundred and fifty images and most of all - put some energy into your expressions. I leave the lighting set up and go look at the results, usually I'm so enthused that I go back out to the shed and take some more!
