Spy Steps and Am Dram

An interesting weekend. I was helping my father put on a piece of amateur theatre he had written, which was fun. I was lighting the show for him and took my camera along to grab some rehearsal shots for Front of House - just to give it that 'professional' feel. They were a great bunch of people and we had fun amidst the tension of technical rehearsals and 'putting on a show'.

I went from Northampton to Warwick Arts Centre to photograph some kids exploring a piece of experiential theatre by Stan's Cafe. It's called 'Spy Steps' and is a hybrid between a Dance Mat and a Play?? Vinyl cut-outs guide you around the Foyer and Cafe of the Arts Centre and you get to perform a Bond-style movie as one of seven characters. Dialogue is written on cue cards and there is even a cinematic soundtrack to compolete the experience. It was great!

Busy time coming up with a few weddings and theatre project - plus I hope some more publicity and documentary work.

The end is nigh....

I'm nearing the end of the documentary project that was commissioned by Stoke City Music and Performing Arts' Service. It's been a really interesting and rewarding job - seeing all the work that goes on around the city and recording it. Going into Primary, Junior and High Schools as well as to public sessions - the idea has been to record the work and capture kids and adults interacting and being inspired by music. I hope I have achieved that...

A couple of projcets are hopefully coming up - a School for the Deaf in Derby and some web and print shots for a UK band. More to follow...

Very lax blogging recently.

Again... not keeping up with the blog. Slapped wrist.

I've been busy this month with sopme interesting commissions - Creative Partnership work with local schools, Stoke City Music and Performing Arts' documentary photography project and a couple of model shoots. All very enjoyable and challenging in their own ways.

I loved getting back to the documentary work with the Music department. The brief was to cover all of the work happening around the city of Stoke-on-Trent - loads of kids, loads of sessions, loads of fun and involvement and trying to portray that without it just being photos of kids holding instruments... it became about looking for those moments when they became emersed in what they were doing, when they were laughing and enjoying it and when they were connnecting and learning. I've a few more sessions to do but I hope I got it. Some photos are above.

More next month.... promise.

Haven't posted for a while....

Hello again,

Feeling a bit remiss in not posting for a month!

I have done some model shoots in the meantime and a nice job for the Arts' Council shooting primary school teachers trying out a Creative Partnerships project in Shelton Park.

There are a couple of photos above that I am proud of but hopefully will be doing a longer post next week when I have sorted the Shelton photos.

Fingers crossed....

More Models and Plays

Hello again. Sorry for the short break but it's amazing how doing stuff stops you from writing about the the stuff you are doing.

I had an informative day out at 'Focus On Imaging' a photographers trade fair - I managed to avoid any insular, geeky chat and concentrate on going o some useful seminars and demonstrations.

I have photographed a couple of shows recently but have mainly been asked to shoot models for their portfolios. I am really enjoying it and getting some images I'm really loving - I spend most of my time not achieving the photograph I have in my head going into the shoot but have now come to the realisation that I will never produce that shot because it's not based on a real set of circumstances. The model, the light, the setting - these are the factors I have to work with in the real world and by accepting that I've starting producing photographs that work as a collaboration between all these things.

Enough 'arty' speak. Have shot an image for a theatre poster of 'The Wicked Lady' - I'll post it when the finished print is done. And will be shooting a 'B Movie' inspired shoot in Manchester in early April - 3 models, 'cinematic' set ups and a dark horror feel.

Photos up soon.

Cheers

Manchester Fashion Shoot

I got involved in a great studio shoot on Saturday last for a company called Zmurko Model Agency. It was at a big old mill to the west of Manchester - Blue Door Studios, Vale Mill near Stalybridge.

We had six models to shoot throughout the day and a room full of equipment to use, but in the end I shot very minimalistically with just one light and using natural light as a fill. There was a great abandoned room beyond the main studio which the shot above was taken in - I like a bit of texture in a shot. The models were all new to the agency, although not to modelling, and I spent most of the day working with another photographer to get headshots and some fashion shots of everyone.

Really enjoyable and, I think, effective day.

Nice Niece and Nephew Time

No jobs this weekend so popped down to Cardiff to meet my new nephew Finlay. As you can see from the photo above I did manage to capture an odd moment when he wasn’t shocked and screaming to finally be in this world.

I had to catch the odd shot of Lily May as well – especially when she was showing her ‘jazz hands’ to her Auntie Rachel.

It’s interesting I have been asked to photograph lots of children – particularly in lessons at schools or doing drama workshops – and they are a lot less self conscious of the camera than adults, they just tend to ignore me and get on with more interesting things. Which is when the good shots happen.

Still, more next week – Theatre and Fashion this time….