frasersfotoblog

Photographic Genres
Thursday, 7 October 2010

The more I explore the more I realise that photography is much more than just one subject, it covers a multitude of genres, styles and themes all requiring completely different skill sets.

Earlier this month I bit the bullet and went on a photography shoot with a crowd of other photographers and models where we had the opportunity to shoot a number of models one on one for a one hour period. There was a degree of pre-planning where we had agreed with each model what sort of image we were after and we agreed on outfits. The venue was a large English garden complete with many different settings and backdrops, ideal for such an event.

My photography up to this point has largely consisted of picking up the camera and going to a place and capturing the images that are presented to me. Whether it be landscape, street or sports photography, once there all I have to worry about is composing the picture and making sure technical photographic elements are okay. Now add to this job list - interacting with the subject, making them feel comfortable and directing them and you start to feel like you are juggling with at least another couple of variables. As I see it the basic difference with photographing people is the need for the photographer to interact and communicate with another human being. Consent and co-operation are needed, the image is no longer solely yours to make, there are now at least two people involved in the creative process. Despite the challenge I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and got lots of satisfaction out of trying to take images that capture both something of the person and the idea that we were trying for.

The image above was one such image. Ren and I were going for a Richard Avedon models in motion look.

Posted by Gordon at 22:23 0 comments Links to this post  

A Vocation
Wednesday, 22 September 2010

"A vocation, from the Latin vocare (verb, to call), is a term for an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified." - Wikipedia

Posted by Gordon at 13:16 0 comments Links to this post  

Helmand
Sunday, 20 September 2009

Yes that place in Afganistan so often on the TV news programs with the all too frequent tragic news that another soldier has died.

I was in our local library, scanning the photography shelves for anything new when I came a cross a book of photographs taken by photographer Robert Wilson, who was commissioned by 52 Brigade in 2006 to come out to Helmand province and record what was going on as their tour was coming to an end. The result is an incredible collection of images - landscapes, desertscapes, military camps, temporary bases, the locals, the internal security forces and above all the soldiers themselves. The images are powerful and left me very moved thinking that most of us have really no idea how hard it is out there and how brave these soldiers are.

The Brigadier in the introduction sums it up with George Orwell's words

"people sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf " These are those individuals.

The quality of the images in their detail and their composition is astounding. You can see some of the photos on Robert Wilson's website under the Books and Projects heading, but personally I would recommend ordering the book from your local library or better still buying it here Helmund by Robert Wilson.

Posted by Gordon at 09:47 0 comments Links to this post  

Our Highland Journey
Friday, 28 August 2009

We've just returned from a holiday in Scotland. Having been brought up and spent the first 30 years of my life there, there is always a sense of homecoming even though most of my family are now south of the border.

Travelling north several things start to change. Firstly the density of traffic starts to fall away, secondly the ambient temperature drops a few degrees and thirdly the quality of light improves. Whether these factors are in any way linked I don't know but as a photographer the clarity and softness of the light is the thing I notice most, it's like someone's removed a dirty filter off the end of the lens and you now see everything literally in a new light.

The changing weather is another noticeable difference but as Billy Connolly once said, there really is no such thing as bad weather, you've just got the wrong clothes on. I find weather helps make good pictures. The above picture was taken on a wet, showery, windy evening as the very occasional patch of sunlight would travel across the landscape. It is this sort of transient light that occurs a lot in Scottish landscapes and makes for some interesting and dramatic images.

Whilst travelling I picked up an interesting recently published book written by Scottish photographer Robin Gillander who traveled the Highlands in the steps of a writer called Edwin Muir who wrote a book about contemporary Scotland in 1935. Robin Gillander sets out to update Muir's record by capturing images and accompanying with some related words as to how or why the image reflects Scotland today. The book is a superb collection of high quality well composed black and white images together with a page of narrative for each image.

What made the project more unique was that he chose to capture his images on a 30 year old large 5" x 4" format camera which he purchased specially for the project. He traveled and lived in a camper van developing his film in a converted dark room ex shower closet. From the van he would scan the black and white negatives onto his laptop.

The images are a mixture of urban and rural landscapes and portraits with each image accompanied by a page of narrative about the subject and why he chose to include it. His reasons for using the old large format camera were particularly interesting. In his own words he wanted to take "highly formal and constructed images" which this sort of camera I guess would very much force you to do. Unlike today's modern digital cameras, this camera took sometime to assemble, focus, load sheet film and expose and once set up it wasn't easy to move. You would certainly want a clear idea and plan of what it was you wanted to shoot before you started setting things up. The portraits are very formal and have something of an classical timeless feel to them. I never really appreciated how the choice of equipment could affect the compositional style like that. He uses it to great affect and captures some wonderful images.

The words are interesting too painting a very different picture of the highlands to the one that is most often portrayed in the media. Occasionally he vents his frustrations in the difficulties he has with wielding a a big box camera around the place and the practicalities of living out of camper van for weeks on end. I am always motivated by the different types of projects photographers take on and found this one particularly interesting.

The book can be purchased here at Amazon Highland Journey: In the Spirit of Edwin Muir

Posted by Gordon at 10:00 0 comments Links to this post  

Labels: Highland Journey, Light, Robin Gillanders, Scotland, weather

Standing On The Dock
Thursday, 27 August 2009

I set this blog up to write down some of my current thoughts about photography. Readers would be excused in thinking that given the current lack of activity here that I seem to have stopped thinking about the subject altogether. Well it's not true, my head is often buzzing with new ideas often influenced by the mass of blogs I've subscribed too, people I've talked with , books I've read, places I've been and images I've seen.

Unfortunately my head is where the ideas often stay. I start out with lots of enthusiasm, throwing ideas around and opening up my mind to lots of possibilities, I even start making tentative plans, visualizing images, picking locations, scouting suitable models and then, slowly at first, my ambition starts to wane, as days go by what seemed to be a really good idea somehow seems to be not so attractive anymore, other less creative more mundane distractions start to occupy my mind, seemingly insurmountable false barriers start to get erected like I don't have the exact equipment or it will cost too much or some other false demon starts to put me off. With everyday the idea gets relegated further down the pile of once good ideas.

Myers Briggs will tell you I'm no finisher, great at the front end with creative ideas but not so excellent at following through, dealing with the detail or working round the problems and delivering the end result. I want to change I need to commit and maybe by using the blog and publishing my thoughts and ideas more then I will feel more obliged to follow them through.

All this has come to a head on reading some recent posts in one of my favourite photography blogs by Zack Arias. I have mentioned Zack's blog before in this post where I talked about his very thought provoking video Transform. It was in reply to this video that he got an email recently which he published in a post called "How Many Of You Are Standing On The Dock?" After reading it I decided I was most definitely one of those standing on the dock.

Zack's next post documents his encounter with a door to door salesman "Dope, Soap, & Hope :: Teachers Are Everywhere"

Cleverly spotting the connection he has taken lessons in the second post and used them to put forward a proposed way of getting us off the dock and into the boat in a third post "Call To Action :: “When I play pretend, I’m an ambitious person…”"

So my current project is to find a group of people who I can photograph. Current thoughts are:

Rowing club
Local neighbors
Local old peoples home

The plan is to report back with updates.

The photograph above was taken a few years ago on a trip to Norway where my favourite model obliged by standing on the dock with both of us completely unaware of its future significance.

Posted by Gordon at 08:56 0 comments Links to this post  

Labels: Projects, Zack Arias

Finding a niche
Saturday, 30 May 2009

My challenge at the moment is to narrow down my range of photography, concentrate on one genre and become an expert in that one area. Like so many wannabe professionals I would love to turn my passion into something that could start to pay some bills or even just finance my passion.

In my search for a niche I went on a wedding photography workshop this week. Heading the bill on the course was wedding photographer Mike Larson who is based in California who travels the world shooting for the higher end of the market and he had a lot of interesting and good common sense things to say about the business.

His business model was all about selling the experience, providing a first class service, sending the wedding couple away with their expectations exceeded.

He purposely invests time getting to know the couple, building a relationship and doing a pre-wedding shoot so as he knows something of their characters which will help him capture the true person on the day.

On the wedding day he has several photographers and assistants helping cover the event, with the expected traditional to the unexpected more creative shot.

The experience continues after the event when the photographs are viewed in a specifically decked out viewing lounge with a very wide screen plasma monitor, surround sound music accompaniment, the customer, friends and family can sit back relax and relive the wedding day all over again.

The key underlying message that came out of the workshop was to excel at what you do, make it different and continually aim to exceed your customers expectations. Only by adding this sort of value can you move away from the highly competitive low margin, price driven end of the market.

Pictured above is Mike Larson sharing some feedback with a model bride.

Posted by Gordon at 14:05 0 comments Links to this post  

Labels: Mike Larson, Weddings

Not another sunset!
Wednesday, 11 March 2009

I've posted before about how, in the new photographic world where the cost and barriers that once stopped people from taking photographs are now removed, the search for originality and something different becomes harder and harder. I recently watched Zack Arias's video Transform which highlighted that never ending quest for originality that all artists seek.

He raises the question, is it not a forlorn hope that one day we will be satisfied or is it a never ending impossible quest in which as we develop and our work moves on so does our aspiration? Perhaps its not confined to just artists but more the story of our lives in general.

The secret I suspect is to shoot for the moment, enjoy what you do and not to fret about how your work is developing.

Posted by Gordon at 08:43 0 comments Links to this post  

Labels: Transform, Zack Arias